Slovak National Gallery opens a new gallery complex after 21 years
Bratislava – The reconstruction of the Slovak National Gallery has reached its conclusion. The gallery will open its renovated spaces to the public for the first time on Sunday, December 11, 2022. On that day, visitors will be able to enjoy a full-day program for children and adults, two introductory exhibitions, a special project featuring works in architecture, and take a breath of the unique novelty that everyone has been waiting for.
The need for the reconstruction of the Slovak National Gallery arose 21 years ago when the then director, Katarína Bajcurová, had to close the iconic Bridge designed by architect Vladimír Dedeček for safety reasons. Due to unsatisfactory conditions, the closure of other parts followed gradually. The winning proposal for the reconstruction, completion, and modernization of the SNG complex by architects Martin Kusý and Pavol Paňák from the BKPŠ studio was realized from 2016 until October 26, 2022, when the SNG successfully received the reconstructed spaces from the contractor.
"The reconstruction of the national gallery has been with us for so long that it feels strange and unexpectedly difficult for me to grasp its end. Risking grand words, I truly believe this is a historic moment, not only for the gallery but also for our country. It is the largest cultural building that we started and completed after the revolution. It is our business card, achieved through the hard work of many, including people from the cultural community and the ministry, colleagues from SNG, architects and designers, contractors, builders themselves, and many others," says the general director of the SNG, Alexandra Kusá.
"The first thing that comes to my mind at the opening of the SNG is the word - finally. Honestly, it is a unique achievement that brings enormous benefits not only for the art community but also for all visitors and supporters of visual art. Although I would love to take credit since the opening is happening during my leadership of the department, I first thank the wonderful team at the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic and the support from the Ministry of Finance. The greatest thanks and recognition for the completion of the reconstruction of the SNG goes to the general director of the gallery, Alexandra Kusá, her employees. Thanks to their meticulous work and love for art history, we are regaining monumental representative spaces that our art deserves," says the Minister of Culture of the Slovak Republic, Natália Milanová.
The completion of this challenging project is a milestone for Slovak culture, the art scene, but also for the capital itself, which will receive a completely new public space for leisure activities along the banks of the Danube. "In the preparation and realization of the national gallery complex project, we, along with our colleagues, dedicated 17 years. It was a lengthy process with all the ups and downs of the architectural profession. Our effort was to create an authentic piece of work that merges four centuries of architecture, spaces for the modern operation of the institution, and the presentation of our visual culture. Whether and how we succeeded will be told by history," the architects Martin Kusý and Pavol Paňák summarize.
The SNG decided not to wait for a fully equipped interior or permanent exhibitions and will be
(re)opening the new building gradually. "Most of the SNG complex has been closed for 21 years, and now that we finally have the finished building in our hands, we want to share it with the public, to whom the gallery rightfully belongs, before Christmas," Kusá explains.
Therefore, the SNG will (re)open its spaces at the (new) old address Rázusovo nábrežie 2 on Sunday, December 11, with a rich all-day program and the first exhibitions. Visitors will be able to enjoy the new SNG until December 21. In the new year, due to the size and necessity of ensuring smooth operation, the gallery will function based on regulated entries – individual tours of the building and exhibitions, for which people will be able to sign up. The Esterházy Palace, which was the only exhibition space of the Bratislava SNG during the reconstruction, will close to the public on December 5 and will reopen along with the new building in the new year. "We will do everything we can to operate as soon as possible in a normal mode during full opening hours. All current information will be communicated timely," concludes Kusá. Throughout 2023, the gallery will gradually make available permanent exhibitions, a cinema, a modern library, a café, and a gallery bookstore.
The introductory exhibition Prologue. 12 colors of reality will guide visitors through the new SNG spaces, showcasing works of old, modern, and contemporary art in mutual dialogues and more or less surprising relationships. Through unconventional connections of works from different historical periods, they will gain insight into the diversity of the SNG collections and discover art pieces that have been added over the last 30 years. The realization of the first exhibition in the "new" environment has been supported by the long-term general partner of the SNG, Tatra banka. While walking through the building, they will also encounter an unconventional project with a retro title "Monumentality," which will lead them to sculptures and functional art pieces in various corners of the gallery and convince them that art, when combined with architecture, works beautifully.
Another novelty that the gallery audience can look forward to is the interactive exhibition Why (art)won't?, which answers the most frequent questions related to art through selected works. At the exhibition, supported by the partner Kia Sales Slovakia, it will be possible to engage with some works, leave a mark, or create their own sound and visual projection with them, thus enjoying a connection with art.
The need for the reconstruction of the Slovak National Gallery arose 21 years ago when the then director, Katarína Bajcurová, had to close the iconic Bridge designed by architect Vladimír Dedeček for safety reasons. Due to unsatisfactory conditions, the closure of other parts followed gradually. The winning proposal for the reconstruction, completion, and modernization of the SNG complex by architects Martin Kusý and Pavol Paňák from the BKPŠ studio was realized from 2016 until October 26, 2022, when the SNG successfully received the reconstructed spaces from the contractor.
"The reconstruction of the national gallery has been with us for so long that it feels strange and unexpectedly difficult for me to grasp its end. Risking grand words, I truly believe this is a historic moment, not only for the gallery but also for our country. It is the largest cultural building that we started and completed after the revolution. It is our business card, achieved through the hard work of many, including people from the cultural community and the ministry, colleagues from SNG, architects and designers, contractors, builders themselves, and many others," says the general director of the SNG, Alexandra Kusá.
"The first thing that comes to my mind at the opening of the SNG is the word - finally. Honestly, it is a unique achievement that brings enormous benefits not only for the art community but also for all visitors and supporters of visual art. Although I would love to take credit since the opening is happening during my leadership of the department, I first thank the wonderful team at the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic and the support from the Ministry of Finance. The greatest thanks and recognition for the completion of the reconstruction of the SNG goes to the general director of the gallery, Alexandra Kusá, her employees. Thanks to their meticulous work and love for art history, we are regaining monumental representative spaces that our art deserves," says the Minister of Culture of the Slovak Republic, Natália Milanová.
The completion of this challenging project is a milestone for Slovak culture, the art scene, but also for the capital itself, which will receive a completely new public space for leisure activities along the banks of the Danube. "In the preparation and realization of the national gallery complex project, we, along with our colleagues, dedicated 17 years. It was a lengthy process with all the ups and downs of the architectural profession. Our effort was to create an authentic piece of work that merges four centuries of architecture, spaces for the modern operation of the institution, and the presentation of our visual culture. Whether and how we succeeded will be told by history," the architects Martin Kusý and Pavol Paňák summarize.
The SNG decided not to wait for a fully equipped interior or permanent exhibitions and will be
(re)opening the new building gradually. "Most of the SNG complex has been closed for 21 years, and now that we finally have the finished building in our hands, we want to share it with the public, to whom the gallery rightfully belongs, before Christmas," Kusá explains.
Therefore, the SNG will (re)open its spaces at the (new) old address Rázusovo nábrežie 2 on Sunday, December 11, with a rich all-day program and the first exhibitions. Visitors will be able to enjoy the new SNG until December 21. In the new year, due to the size and necessity of ensuring smooth operation, the gallery will function based on regulated entries – individual tours of the building and exhibitions, for which people will be able to sign up. The Esterházy Palace, which was the only exhibition space of the Bratislava SNG during the reconstruction, will close to the public on December 5 and will reopen along with the new building in the new year. "We will do everything we can to operate as soon as possible in a normal mode during full opening hours. All current information will be communicated timely," concludes Kusá. Throughout 2023, the gallery will gradually make available permanent exhibitions, a cinema, a modern library, a café, and a gallery bookstore.
The introductory exhibition Prologue. 12 colors of reality will guide visitors through the new SNG spaces, showcasing works of old, modern, and contemporary art in mutual dialogues and more or less surprising relationships. Through unconventional connections of works from different historical periods, they will gain insight into the diversity of the SNG collections and discover art pieces that have been added over the last 30 years. The realization of the first exhibition in the "new" environment has been supported by the long-term general partner of the SNG, Tatra banka. While walking through the building, they will also encounter an unconventional project with a retro title "Monumentality," which will lead them to sculptures and functional art pieces in various corners of the gallery and convince them that art, when combined with architecture, works beautifully.
Another novelty that the gallery audience can look forward to is the interactive exhibition Why (art)won't?, which answers the most frequent questions related to art through selected works. At the exhibition, supported by the partner Kia Sales Slovakia, it will be possible to engage with some works, leave a mark, or create their own sound and visual projection with them, thus enjoying a connection with art.
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