The National Gallery plans to repair the pavilion in Venice and the Trade Fair Palace

Prague – The National Gallery Prague (NGP) plans to reconstruct the Czech and Slovak Pavilion in Venice, Italy, where a biennale of contemporary art takes place every two years. It is collaborating with the Slovak National Gallery, as both countries jointly manage the pavilion. Until the pavilion is repaired, NGP will seek alternative solutions to participate in the international exhibition of art and architecture. NGP's director Alicja Knastová announced this at a press conference today.

According to her, the goal is for the Czech Republic to represent itself with a project at the 2023 architecture biennale, which will emerge from a competition next year.

The Czechoslovak Pavilion is one of the oldest in the Venetian gardens, built in 1925 by Otakar Novotný. Since the split of Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic has alternated with Slovakia in preparing the exhibition in the pavilion. The Venice Biennale always attracts over half a million international visitors. It first took place in 1885.

The National Gallery Prague has long pointed out the poor condition of the pavilion, which has not been invested in for a long time. For example, it lacks air conditioning, making it very hot in the summer. At the end of 2018, NGP began preparations for a complete reconstruction of the pavilion. In the summer of 2019, a storm damaged the roof of the building during the international exhibition. The pavilion had to be closed until the roof was repaired.

According to the director, one of the largest investment projects for NGP will be the reconstruction of the Trade Fair Palace. "In February 2022, a competitive dialogue will be announced for an architectural study for the transformation of the Trade Fair Palace," she said. The main task of the gallery, according to her, will be to secure financing for this largest investment undertaking in the history of the National Gallery and to seek external sources.

The reconstruction of the Trade Fair Palace was first discussed by one of Knastová’s predecessors, Jiří Fajt. The government of Andrej Babiš (ANO) promised funds for it when it approved the Care of National Cultural Heritage I program in 2019. Babiš repeatedly stated that the reconstruction of the functionalist building is among the government’s priority investment actions.

By 2028, the aforementioned program is expected to have nearly eight billion crowns available. The program plans to support seven cultural institutions. It should finance the reconstruction of the Invalidovna, the Trade Fair Palace, and the New Stage of the National Theatre, the establishment of a railway museum at Masaryk Station in Prague, the Olomouc SEFO Art Museum, the restoration of the castle in Uherčice, the reconstruction of parts of the Plasy Monastery, and the restoration of the manor house in Ratibořice.

NGP is also preparing to build a depository in Jinonice for several years. "The depository complex will offer not only care for artworks but also spaces for their professional presentation and for public educational programs," states the gallery. The project contractor is the company JIKA-CZ, selected in a competition last year. Based on the architectural study, a zoning decision is expected to be issued in the coming months. The gallery plans that the construction will last seven years from the start of the project. It previously stated that the construction is expected to cost 1.3 billion crowns.

One of the former heads of NGP, Anne-Marie Nedoma, indicated that the reconstruction of the Trade Fair Palace would not begin until the depository in Jinonice is completed. Among other reasons, this is because works from the Trade Fair Palace, which is also a depository in addition to spaces for permanent exhibitions and exhibitions, must be moved to the completed depository.

The National Gallery Prague has six buildings with permanent exhibitions or shows in the capital. It also holds exhibitions at the Valdštejn Riding School, which belongs to the Senate. The gallery manages the largest collection of artworks in the Czech Republic. The annual report of NGP states that the costs of its main activities in 2020 reached 423 million crowns, while the revenues from main activities amounted to 419 million crowns.