The minister has apparently dismissed the director of the NGP and the Museum of Arts in Olomouc

Publisher
ČTK
18.04.2019 14:50

photo: National Gallery in Prague
Prague - Minister of Culture Antonín Staněk (CSSD) has dismissed the director of the National Gallery Prague, Jiří Fajt, and likely also the director of the Olomouc Museum of Art, Michal Soukup. The Ministry of Culture announced in a press release that Staněk decided this morning on personnel changes in the leadership of both institutions based on the results of "currently completed and ongoing public administration audits of both institutions." The dismissal of Fajt was confirmed by a source from ČTK, and according to the museum's spokesperson, Soukup was invited to Prague today.

The Ministry of Culture will provide details at today’s press conference at 11:00. Speculation about Fajt's continued role at NGP has been ongoing for some time; the minister was in conflict with the employees of the Olomouc museum due to the planned construction of a new museum building for Central European contemporary art.

The minister became involved in a dispute with the museum after he began advocating for the announcement of an architectural competition for the construction of the Central European Forum (SEFO) in the center of Olomouc, for which the government recently allocated 600 million crowns. People from the museum and some other experts advocated for the construction based on a ten-year-old design by architect Jan Šépka; the minister countered that such a high sum from public sources could not be invested by the government except based on the results of a competition. Museum employees demanded the minister's resignation. However, in early April, Staněk reached an agreement with museum representatives on the preparation of the architectural competition. According to the museum's spokesperson, the minister invited Soukup to Prague today, but the director is ill, so his deputy went instead.

There has always been only speculation about Fajt's potential dismissal, as the Minister of Culture has not publicly disclosed any specific criticisms against him. Two weeks ago, he stated in the press that he has no reason "to doubt his artistic results; we are evaluating the economic ones. I am concerned about the low attendance at the gallery." However, attendance at the gallery under Fajt's leadership, who took charge in mid-2014, is increasing. Last year, a total of 711,928 people visited it, compared to 690,000 the previous year, according to annual reports. In 2014, 380,000 people visited the gallery.

According to information from the ministry at the beginning of this week, a public administration audit focusing on selected facts relevant to the management of NG with public funds was initiated at NGP on April 15.

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