Liberec has gained a world-class gallery by transforming the spa
Liberec - As of today, Liberec can boast a world-class gallery. Thanks to the reconstruction of the former spa for 360 million crowns, it is the most modern in the whole country, said Jan Randáček, director of the Regional Gallery, to journalists. The new spaces will be accessible to the public from Friday, February 28.
"Visitors will find not only quality artwork here, but I believe also an environment that they will like and that will not disappoint them," Randáček stated. According to him, the gallery ranks at the top, at least within the domestic scene. "In the Czech Republic, we can find galleries that are larger or beautifully reconstructed or have unique items in their collections. A bit uncritically, I believe that our gallery offers all of this together and that in this regard it is probably the only one in the Czech Republic," he declared.
According to Deputy Governor for Culture Hana Maierová, the reconstruction of the spa is the most significant cultural event for Liberec since the opening of the regional library in 2000.
"The Liberec gallery far exceeds its significance beyond our borders," she believes.
The Liberec Municipal Spa on Masaryk Street is among the most valuable monuments in the city. Built between 1900 and 1902 according to a design by Vienna architect Peter Paul Brang. The historic building had been empty for years, and the city was looking for a purpose for it. Ultimately, the city council agreed with the region to move the gallery from its spatially and technically inadequate neo-Renaissance palace here. However, the reconstruction of the spa, largely funded by European grants, was among the controversial contracts. The opposition at the city council claimed that the construction was overcharged by 50 million crowns. The provider of European grants had several assessments prepared, and the result was that this was not the case. Nevertheless, it reduced the grant to Liberec by about ten million for changes in the project.
By moving, the gallery gained about twice the exhibition space, a depository, and also better facilities for employees and the public. The gallery also includes a shop and a café. Since the move, the gallery expects higher visitor numbers, having welcomed over 15,000 people last year. "Our effort will be for everyone to find something for themselves here. We will show both old art and contemporary art," Randáček noted. Better experience will also be aided by the lighting, which is among the most modern in the world. "We are one of the few galleries in Europe that has all its lighting from LED lights. It is gentler on the artworks and offers a better perception of the image," Randáček explained.
The first main exhibition is dedicated to swimming, symbolizing the past and present use of the building. It consists of paintings, sculptures, artifacts, and video. However, it will not be the only one that the gallery will promote starting Friday. There will also be prints from the time of Emperor Rudolf II, an exhibition on contemporary architecture in Tyrol, and a specially conceived exhibition by Jan Mladovský. The gallery will also showcase several new permanent exhibitions. One is dedicated to the significant Liberec collector and patron Heinrich Liebieg, while others focus on the history of the spa and the gallery, the art of Czech Germans, or Dutch masters from the 16th to 18th centuries.
The Regional Gallery in Liberec is the fifth largest in the country by collection. It has around 2,000 paintings, over 16,000 prints and drawings, and approximately 3,000 sculptures and other objects.
"Visitors will find not only quality artwork here, but I believe also an environment that they will like and that will not disappoint them," Randáček stated. According to him, the gallery ranks at the top, at least within the domestic scene. "In the Czech Republic, we can find galleries that are larger or beautifully reconstructed or have unique items in their collections. A bit uncritically, I believe that our gallery offers all of this together and that in this regard it is probably the only one in the Czech Republic," he declared.
According to Deputy Governor for Culture Hana Maierová, the reconstruction of the spa is the most significant cultural event for Liberec since the opening of the regional library in 2000.
"The Liberec gallery far exceeds its significance beyond our borders," she believes.
The Liberec Municipal Spa on Masaryk Street is among the most valuable monuments in the city. Built between 1900 and 1902 according to a design by Vienna architect Peter Paul Brang. The historic building had been empty for years, and the city was looking for a purpose for it. Ultimately, the city council agreed with the region to move the gallery from its spatially and technically inadequate neo-Renaissance palace here. However, the reconstruction of the spa, largely funded by European grants, was among the controversial contracts. The opposition at the city council claimed that the construction was overcharged by 50 million crowns. The provider of European grants had several assessments prepared, and the result was that this was not the case. Nevertheless, it reduced the grant to Liberec by about ten million for changes in the project.
By moving, the gallery gained about twice the exhibition space, a depository, and also better facilities for employees and the public. The gallery also includes a shop and a café. Since the move, the gallery expects higher visitor numbers, having welcomed over 15,000 people last year. "Our effort will be for everyone to find something for themselves here. We will show both old art and contemporary art," Randáček noted. Better experience will also be aided by the lighting, which is among the most modern in the world. "We are one of the few galleries in Europe that has all its lighting from LED lights. It is gentler on the artworks and offers a better perception of the image," Randáček explained.
The first main exhibition is dedicated to swimming, symbolizing the past and present use of the building. It consists of paintings, sculptures, artifacts, and video. However, it will not be the only one that the gallery will promote starting Friday. There will also be prints from the time of Emperor Rudolf II, an exhibition on contemporary architecture in Tyrol, and a specially conceived exhibition by Jan Mladovský. The gallery will also showcase several new permanent exhibitions. One is dedicated to the significant Liberec collector and patron Heinrich Liebieg, while others focus on the history of the spa and the gallery, the art of Czech Germans, or Dutch masters from the 16th to 18th centuries.
The Regional Gallery in Liberec is the fifth largest in the country by collection. It has around 2,000 paintings, over 16,000 prints and drawings, and approximately 3,000 sculptures and other objects.
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