Robert Runták is one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Czech art collecting. His collection, systematically built since the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century, represents a vibrant and thoughtful whole that connects Czech and Slovak art with a European context. Alongside his professional and business career, he has long been dedicated to developing cultural infrastructure and initiating projects that shape the current form of the cultural scene, not only in Olomouc.

Robert Runták graduated from the Faculty of Law at Palacký University in Olomouc. He began his professional career at the enforcement office in Přerov, where he has served as director since 2001. In parallel, he is involved in business and investment activities. Between 2009 and 2012, he was a co-owner of the football club SK Sigma Olomouc. He came to art by chance—in 2007, while furnishing a family home, he purchased his first artwork, which opened the door to the systematic collecting of modern and contemporary art.

Since 2011, the Robert Runták Collection has developed as a conceptually built entity with its own infrastructure, records, and curatorial support. It has gradually profiled itself along several conceptual and thematic lines that still form its foundation today. A pivotal moment came in 2013 when, alongside Czech and Slovak art, the collection began to purposefully develop a line of European, particularly figurative, painting created after 2000. This direction has become one of the key pillars of the entire collection.

The core of the collection consists of Czech and Slovak art from the beginning of the 20th century to the present, with an emphasis on work produced after 1980. While painting is the dominant medium, sculpture, installation, and the moving image are also significantly represented. Currently, the collection includes over 2,850 works by more than 450 artists and is one of the most extensive private collections in the Czech Republic.

Public presentation is an important part of working with the collection. The collection has been presented in several solo exhibition projects in the Czech Republic and abroad and has long entered the professional and institutional context through loans. Over fifteen years, works have been loaned to approximately two hundred exhibition projects across ten countries. The Signál exhibitions at the Telegraph Gallery in Olomouc also provide a specific platform, regularly offering current insights into the structure and evolution of the collection.

In addition to his collecting activities, Robert Runták actively participates in the development of the cultural environment. He is a member of the Tate Modern’s Russia and Eastern Europe Acquisitions Committee, where he participates in selecting works for the collections of this prestigious institution. In Olomouc, he is responsible for the creation and development of the Telegraph cultural center and is involved in projects such as Letňák Olomouc. His activities long connect private collecting with public cultural space and contribute to its contemporary form.