NG will announce a competition for the transformation of the Veletržní Palace on February 28

Prague - The National Gallery Prague will announce a long-prepared competition for the reconstruction of the Trade Fair Palace on February 28. At the beginning of the spring season, it will also present an exhibition showcasing the history and future of its largest exhibition space. Details about the competition will be presented by the gallery at a press conference on the same day, spokeswoman for NGP Tereza Ježková told ČTK today.

With the long-planned modification approved by heritage conservationists, NGP head Jiří Fajt aims to secure better spaces for contemporary art. The Ministry of Culture has allocated 15 million korunas for the competition, and Fajt will reach out to 12 Czech and foreign architects who have experience with similar work, he previously told ČTK. NGP is also preparing renovations primarily for the interiors of the Schwarzenberg Palace and the reconstruction of the Sternberg Palace.

Fajt expects to spend half a year preparing the proposals and hopes to know the winner's name in October. He anticipates that project work and approvals may take two years, followed by another two years for the actual construction, and a year for moving exhibits back into the Trade Fair Palace. "In an ideal case, everything from signing the contract can take six years," he estimated.

Fajt does not want to estimate the money needed for the palace's reconstruction. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) stated that the renovation of the functionalist monument is included in the new investment program being prepared by the government. During last year's visit by the Prime Minister to cultural state institutions, for which the government plans investments, the case of the Trade Fair Palace was discussed with a figure of three billion korunas.

The exhibition Future Palace, which opens next week and will consist mainly of videos, will remind visitors of the existence of the Trade Fair Palace over the past 90 years. The palace, which was reportedly admired by the famous French architect Le Corbusier, has a troubled history. It embodies modernist tendencies and was created as the palace of the Prague Sample Trade Fairs from 1925 to 1928, being the largest building of its time, featuring long corridor passages lined with glass displays.

A devastating fire in 1974 caused by the negligence of painters marked a turning point in its destiny. However, it brought the building into use for the National Gallery many years later. The gallery utilizes the austere modernist architecture for the presentation of modern and contemporary art.

"The functions of the palace are far from exhausted, and it will be necessary to consider new, future hybrid programs for the Trade Fair Palace," stated NGP in a press release. A laser installation on the facade of the Trade Fair Palace will project historical, contemporary, and future programs during the Grand Opening, including a café, cinema, post office, as well as a media library, gallery, and more, NGP states.