Prague Mánes awaits repairs, it will close for two years in November

Prague - The building of the Prague Mánes, a significant monument of Czech modern architecture, is set for a long reconstruction. The entire object will be closed in November for repairs and will be out of operation for 18 to 24 months. The restaurant located in Mánes will close at the end of July. Dagmar Baběradová, director of the Czech Visual Arts Foundation (NČVU), told ČTK. The exact cost of reconstruction has not yet been determined, but it is estimated to reach up to 150 million crowns.
     NČVU planned to begin repairs in June 2010, but the deadline has been postponed several times. Representatives attributed the delays to complications in obtaining the necessary permits. According to Baběradová, exploratory work will begin in August, so the local restaurant must be closed. The entire building is to be cleared and handed over for reconstruction in November.
     The building will be modified according to the project by the HMArchitekti studio, which does not anticipate radical interventions. Mánes is to be returned architecturally and functionally to the 1930s. "The aim is to rehabilitate Mánes as a genuine house of art, a beloved and valued cultural center," states NČVU on its website.
     The architects from HMArchitekti have previously stated that the focal point of the building will remain the exhibition hall, which will meet the most demanding technical criteria and allow presentations of various visual arts disciplines. Two multipurpose spaces will be newly created on the lower floor, where lectures, screenings, auctions, or smaller exhibitions could take place.
     The original restaurant with a terrace and painted ceiling by Emil Filla will also be restored. A new shop is to be created on the balcony on the southern side.
     According to estimates, the repair should cost up to 150 million crowns. According to Baběradová, NČVU is negotiating with two sponsors who could fund the reconstruction. However, she did not want to elaborate on the details of the financing. "The contract has not yet been signed," she explained.
     The functionalist building was designed at the request of the Association of Visual Artists Mánes by Otakar Novotný, who was one of the most talented students of the famous architect Jan Kotěra. The construction was completed in 1930.
     Since the early 1990s, the building has been subject to restitution disputes. The Supreme Court ultimately designated NČVU as its owner.