Milan Knížák, the Czech visual artist, musician and educator who once ran the National Gallery in Prague, has died at the age of 86. The Czech News Agency reported that he died on Sunday, 26 July 2026.

Knížák's career spanned more than six decades and took him from the margins of the Communist-era art scene to the directorship of one of Central Europe's most important museums. ARTnews described him as a Czech artist who was once labelled an "enemy of the state" — a designation rooted in his activities during the period of Communist rule, when unofficial art was treated as a political threat.

The National Gallery Prague published a memorial page on its official website, titled "We remember Milan Knížák with respect and gratitude," confirming the institution's news of his death. Radio Prague International, the English-language service of the Czech public broadcaster Czech Radio, also reported his death at 86.

Knížák served as director of the National Gallery in Prague, the country's largest art institution, with collections spanning medieval works through contemporary art. He was also a musician and a pedagogue — a career that encompassed teaching as well as making art of his own.

The Czech News Agency confirmed that Knížák will receive a funeral with state honours, a formal recognition reserved by the Czech government for figures of significant national contribution.

What stands out in Knížák's trajectory is the distance it covered. An artist once classified as a threat to the state ended up running its national gallery. That arc — from the official margins to the institution's top post — reflects the broader upheaval of Czech cultural life through the late twentieth century, though the details of how he navigated that transition belong to the biographers.

Knížák's death was first announced through the Czech News Agency's news portal and subsequently reported by international outlets including Radio Prague International and ARTnews. The National Gallery Prague's memorial notice was published in its institutional news section.

He is remembered by the National Gallery Prague "with respect and gratitude," according to the institution's own words.