Nový věk, Public sculpture at Brno Exhibition Center, Czech Republic

Nový věk is a figural sculpture by Vincenc Makovský showing a man in a cloak holding scrolls with plans, representing Science, and a barefoot woman in an ancient-style dress with a wreath of leaves, fruit and a sheaf of wheat, representing Agriculture. Between them stands a stylized sun with a star-crystal whose radiating rays depict an explosion of matter. The sculpture sits on a vertically divided reinforced-concrete pedestal with stone facing.

The work was designed by Vincenc Makovský and first exhibited at Expo 1958 in Brussels, where it won the Grand Prix and originally bore the title Atomový věk. After this international recognition, it found its permanent location at the Brno venue.

The sculpture represents how Czech society looked to scientific progress as a source of hope after World War II. Visitors can see in its forms the optimism that shaped the vision for a modern, advancing nation.

The original stands at the main entrance to the Brno Trade Fairs and Exhibition Grounds, where it has been since 1959. The bronze cast from the 1970s faces the New Building of the National Museum in Prague and was restored in 2014. Both are outdoor works visible from public space.

The bronze copy in Prague stands in front of the New Building of the National Museum, not at the National Assembly. It was cast in the 1970s and restored in 2014. The original at the Brno exhibition grounds has been a protected monument since 1964.