NG announces a competition for the Veletržní Palace, Foster will participate

photo: NG in Prague

Prague - The National Gallery in Prague is preparing to announce an international invited architectural competition for the reconstruction of the interior spaces of the Trade Fair Palace. The previously considered construction of a new building for the NG is no longer on the table. This was stated by the director of the NG, Jiří Fajt, in response to a query from ČTK. Through the reconstruction of the Trade Fair Palace, the gallery aims to acquire better spaces for the presentation of contemporary art. Some famous architects with experience in renovating world museums have already confirmed their participation in the competition.

They include British architect David Chipperfield, whose studio has successfully renovated Berlin museums, the Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron, the author of the newly opened Tate Modern 2 building in London, the Spanish firm Cruz and Ortis, which renovated the equally famous Dutch Rijksmuseum, and the renowned British architect Norman Foster. The selection will also include Czech authors, in approximately a 4:6 ratio to foreign studios, and they will also be well-known creators with experience in transforming older buildings for cultural use, said Fajt.

"In the summer, the National Gallery was able to obtain a positive opinion from the advisory board of the National Heritage Institute and the municipal department of heritage care regarding the intention to transform the Trade Fair Palace, on which basis the building can be transformed into an attractive and functional art museum with all the standards typical of the 21st century," stated Fajt.

The Trade Fair Palace has been serving visual arts for 20 years. Recently, especially due to insufficient investments in its maintenance and repairs, there has been consideration as to whether this use of a building originally constructed for other purposes is ideal. The complex interior does not allow for the exhibition of certain contemporary artworks, and the facility also has very high operating costs. After his appointment as the head of the NG, Fajt began to speak about leaving the palace and the need for a new building. After two years in office, he favored staying in the palace, contingent on reconstruction and transformation.

"The Trade Fair Palace will become the main headquarters of the NG with centralized administration, centralized depository spaces including the necessary facilities," said Fajt. The facilities will include conservation and restoration workshops, technological laboratories, study rooms, exhibition spaces for collection displays as well as temporary exhibitions, spaces for the NG library and archive with a reading room, spaces for educational and leisure activities, a multifunctional hall for theater, concert, and film performances, shops and bookstores, a restaurant, and a café.

The transformation aims to ensure that over 70 percent of exhibition areas will have a height greater than six to seven meters. Currently, most exhibition spaces have a height of only three meters. According to earlier estimates, the reconstruction and transformation of the building could reach three-quarters of a billion crowns. The poor condition of the building was discussed even before Fajt's appointment.