ABSTRACT PAINTING INTENSIVE

NINE DAYS, ONE-TO-ONE MENTORING, CLOSING EXHIBITION

Ab-trahere, re-praesentare.

To abstract is to draw away. To represent is to make present again. The course is built on the tension between these two movements, taken not as opposites but as two operations the painter performs at different distances from the visible world.

Eight participants spend two weeks in a working gallery space in Malá Strana, develop a personal series for a closing public exhibition at Ethera Gallery on 21 August, and work under continuous mentoring from start to finish. All necessary equipment, including an easel, paints, and canvases, is included in the course fee and will be ready for you at the Ethera Gallery.

Franco Hüller

Franco Hüller is an Italian visual artist based in Prague since 2008, represented by Ethera Gallery. He works primarily in oil and acrylic on paper, with a practice oriented around abstraction and series, exploring how abstract sequences open onto narrative without declaring it. MFA in Painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna. Senior Lecturer at TU Prague City. He has taught painting in Prague since 2013, with intensive summer courses previously held at Prague City University and Prague College.

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What this course offers

Two weeks of intensive abstract painting practice in a real gallery space

Continuous one-to-one mentoring with Franco Hüller

Daily input from theory and art history. Examples of artworks and movements introduced each day, chosen to support the direction each participant wants to take.

A small cohort, capped at eight participants.

Indoor studio sessions in the gallery and outdoor exercises across Prague.

A closing public exhibition at Ethera Gallery on the evening of 21 August. (A selection of the strongest works from the exhibition may be considered for inclusion in Ethera's art shop afterwards.)

Optional individual sessions on AI image generation and digital practice on request, outside the main programme.

Practical information

  • Dates: 10 – 21 August 2026

  • Hours: 10:00 to 14:00, Monday to Friday

  • Location: Ethera Gallery, Tržiště 519/22, Praha 1

  • Cohort: maximum 8 participants
    (The course will take place with a minimum of 5 participants)

  • Language: English

  • Closing exhibition: Friday 21 August, public opening in the evening

  • Price: 1.000 EUR / 24.500 CZK

  • All materials are included in the course fee

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Painters moving toward abstraction, returners after a long pause, practitioners in other media looking for a sustained engagement with paint, and anyone with prior visual arts experience who wants a structured, tutor-led process.

  • Getting started is simple. Reach out through our contact form or schedule a call—we’ll walk you through the next steps and answer any questions along the way.

    Week one - 10. - 14. 8

    Themes, demonstrations, collective work.

    Week two: 17. - 21. 8.

    Individual projects and exhibition.

  • The tutor's role is not to impose a style but to help each participant find their own direction, supported by theory, art history, and one-to-one mentoring.
    Mistakes are treated as information, not failure. Series-based work makes this productive: an unsuccessful surface becomes the starting point for the next.

  • You can reach us anytime via our contact page or email.