The Minister of Culture is considering several options for how to resolve the leadership of the NG

Prague - Culture Minister Václav Riedlbauch is considering three options that could resolve the situation in the leadership of the National Gallery in Prague (NG). The ministry stated this in a press release without further details. The appointment of one of the candidates who participated in the competition three weeks ago is apparently just one of the options. According to the press department, the minister's final decision is expected to be made "in the coming days."
    "This time, the selection process really provided quality candidates who have very specific ideas about leading the National Gallery. I have carefully studied their proposals and personally met with five of the seven participants in the competition based on the projects they submitted," said the minister. He engaged with five candidates despite the selection committee recommending the order of the participants based on their performance. Michal Stehlík, the chairman of the selection committee, who met with the minister on Tuesday, told CTK that the selection of candidates has narrowed down to three.
    According to a CTK source familiar with the developments around the competition, the candidates are art historian Jiří Fajt, director of the Moravian Gallery in Brno Marek Pokorný, and a manager and collector whose name is not yet known to the media; the committee evaluated the candidates' projects anonymously, but the other six could be identified by their motivational letters or projects.
    What the other two solutions under consideration for the management of the large collection institution are remains unclear. During the late 1990s, when directors were frequently replaced in the gallery, the ministry appointed its employee Dagmar Šefčíková as the head for several months in September 1998, shortly after the establishment of the opposition agreement. In spring 1999, a competition took place, which Milan Knížák did not win, but the then minister Pavel Dostál appointed him to the position.
    "At this moment, we are looking for the most effective way to combine the artistic and managerial roles, both of which must be represented in the leadership of the gallery," the minister stated and added that they are deciding "on a broader leadership of the institution." The new director of the NG will face many fundamental decisions regarding the future perspective of the institution, its future form, and subsequently the transformation of the current management model.
    When announcing the competition for the head of the NG, the minister stated that he would like to select a successor to long-time director Milan Knížák before the parliamentary elections, when his mandate ends. These elections will take place in just three weeks.