<translation>Archdiocesan Museum Celebrates Ten Years, Will Renew Main Exhibition</translation>

photo: Markéta Ondrušková

Olomouc - This year, the Archdiocesan Museum in Olomouc will celebrate its tenth anniversary with a complete overhaul of its permanent exhibition. It will showcase exhibits that have not been displayed before, with a main highlight being a work by the Spanish Mannerist El Greco. It is expected to travel to Olomouc from New York. Due to renovations, the exhibition will be closed from mid-March until June 1, museum spokesperson Petr Bielesz told ČTK today. The Archdiocesan Museum is the first in the Czech Republic to hold the European Heritage title, which it received at the end of last year. It has thus ranked among nine European historic sites that received this award last year.

The current permanent exhibition of the Archdiocesan Museum presents nearly 300 artistic masterpieces from the 11th to 18th centuries across 16 exhibition halls from state and church collections. "A decade of operation has tested the possibilities for presenting old art in historical settings as well as its educational potential. We will apply our experiences in the revamped exhibition. We will focus on greater thematic interconnection of individual parts, increasing the attractiveness of the installation and its content," said Michal Soukup, the director of the Museum of Art.

The Museum of Art, under which the Archdiocesan Museum falls, has established cooperation with the Metropolitan Museum in New York through the Archdiocese of Olomouc. To celebrate the anniversary of its opening, a gem from its collections will be showcased. "We are currently finalizing negotiations with the American side. We are interested in a work by the world-renowned Spanish Mannerist El Greco," said deputy director Ondřej Zatloukal. The revamped exhibition will open on June 2.

The permanent exhibition "The Century of Relativity" at the Museum of Modern Art on Denisova Street is also closed. The building is undergoing repairs until October. Construction work is already partially limiting operations. The main work, namely the façade reconstruction, will take place during the summer months. The museum aims to present the renovated building to the public on October 27, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the original reconstruction of the building, designed by architect Jaroslav Kovář the elder in 1916.

Last year, the Museum of Art, which includes the Archdiocesan Museum of Olomouc, the Archdiocesan Museum of Kroměříž, and the Museum of Modern Art Olomouc, was visited by over 200,000 people. Among last year's exhibitions, the most visited was a showcase of works by Olomouc-born sculptor Ivan Theimer, which was seen by nearly 20,000 people.