The Czechoslovak pavilion has reopened in Venice

Prague - The Czechoslovak Pavilion in Venice has reopened to the public. It was closed after a storm damaged the building's roof on the night of July 8 to 9. The National Gallery Prague, which manages the pavilion in collaboration with the Slovak National Gallery, plans to completely reconstruct the roof by the end of this year. Karolína Pláničková from the PR department of the National Gallery informed ČTK today. From May to November, the pavilion features an exhibition of works by Stanislav Kolíbal, who represents the Czech Republic at this year's Biennale of Visual Arts.

NGP temporarily covered the pavilion, allowing it to reopen. "After this repair, a complete reconstruction of the roof will follow, which we hope to carry out by the end of 2019," stated Ivan Morávek, acting director of the National Gallery Prague. According to him, NGP will know the extent and costs of the reconstruction only after a structural assessment, which the gallery expects to be completed by the end of August.

The National Gallery Prague has long been warning about the poor condition of the pavilion. There has been little investment in the pavilion for a long time. For example, there is no air conditioning, making it very hot in summer. The former director of NGP, Jiří Fajt, stated in January this year that he misses a stronger interest that would be manifested by more significant support from state authorities. At the end of last year, NGP began preparations for the complete reconstruction of the pavilion, and now the architectural study is complete.

The Czechoslovak Pavilion is one of the oldest in the Venetian gardens, built in 1925 by Otakar Novotný. Since the division of Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic has alternated in preparing the exhibition in the pavilion with Slovakia; this year's exhibition at the Biennale is again under the auspices of the National Gallery Prague after four years. The Venice Biennale always attracts over half a million international visitors. It was first held in 1885.