After Fajta's dismissal, one of the heads of the NGP collections resigned

Prague - Otto Urban, the director of the 19th Century Art Collection and Classical Modernism at the National Gallery of Prague, resigned from his position today. According to him, the reason for his departure is the incompetence of Minister of Culture Antonín Staněk (ČSSD) and his media appearances from last week. In his resignation letter, Urban wrote that he does not believe Staněk is capable of assembling a group of experts who would have respect across the artistic and art historical scene. This group is supposed to help the minister organize the selection process for the director of the NGP. Former gallery director Jiří Fajt left his position after Staněk dismissed him on April 18.

Last Thursday, members of the cultural subcommittee and the top leadership of the ČSSD discussed the situation at the Ministry of Culture and the dismissals of Fajt and the director of the Olomouc Museum of Art (MUO) Michal Soukup. Staněk then stated that he would establish a professional council by the end of May and announce selections by the end of June. The party presidium then instructed the minister to announce the competition by the end of May; both deadlines are considered short by experts.

"His absolute incompetence and misunderstanding of the situation gives me no guarantees that he is capable of managing his department, and thus ensuring the appointment of a new general director of the NGP," Urban stated, who is one of the spokespersons for the petition for Staněk's dismissal following Fajt's removal. The petition currently has nearly 7,000 signatures, said Michaela Šilpochová, spokesperson for the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art, which initiated the petition.

"His recent actions, including the appointment of an acting general director, are extremely untrustworthy. For this reason, I do not feel appropriate loyalty to the new leadership of the NGP and do not have the necessary respect for it. This is, of course, incompatible with the position of director of the collection. From the curator’s position, I am prepared to complete all projects that are currently in progress," Urban stated.

The current changes in the National Gallery are also opposed by the Small Dance Orchestra Universal Prague, which features František Skála, Tomáš Hanák, Aleš Najbrt, Zdeněk Lhotský, and Lenka Vychodilová. "For this reason, we are canceling the concert at the traditional opening of the gardens of the St. Agnes Monastery as part of the opening season of Anežka Live!" the group informed ČTK today. The summer cultural program Anežka Live! is set to begin on May 24, according to the National Gallery's website.

Staněk dismissed NGP's director Fajt citing inspections at the gallery; however, these were ongoing at the time he announced Fajt's departure. The dismissal was justified by serious misconduct in management. The minister filed a criminal complaint against Fajt regarding a contract for more than one million crowns and for long-term rental agreements made by NGP.

Fajt received an offer from the gallery's management to take the position of financial director of the institution or curator of the collection of modern and contemporary art. The chairman of the ČSSD and Deputy Prime Minister Jan Hamáček labeled the offer as a managerial failure. Acting gallery director Ivan Morávek stated that he acted according to the Labor Code and that he could not do otherwise. Fajt called the offer an absurd performance.