Publications for the exhibition

"For modern society, successful people are a symbol of its strength and a source of (national) pride. But all it takes is a change in political circumstances, an economic downturn or other shock to destabilize their system, and the heroes who were supposed to be our role models become scapegoats at whose expense we medicate our anxieties and bad consciences. All the personalities included in the exhibition have lived through periods of glory and crisis. One day they were shining stars, successful writers, actors and inventors who politicians were happy to shake hands with, and the next day they were fleeing into exile, losing their jobs and being hounded by the media." - Jiří Pátek, curator of the Moravian Gallery in Brno and author of the selection of photographs.