Collection for the renovation of the piazzetta of the Vrchlický Theatre in Lounech

The Sýkora 2020 Association announced a public fundraising campaign for the modification of the piazzetta of the Vrchlický Theatre in Louny, which will take the form of a black-and-white geometric composition by the world-renowned artist and native of Louny, Zdeněk Sýkora. The entire proceeds will be handed over by the association to the City of Louny, which is preparing the project implementation.
“With the assignment of the preparation of project documentation to architect Josef Pleskot and his team, and the signing of a licensing agreement for the use of the work with Lenka Sýkorová, the project's implementation has taken a positive step forward. We do not want the City of Louny to bear the entire financial burden alone, and therefore we are ready to help secure sufficient funds,” stated the chairwoman of the Sýkora 2020 Association, Jolana Planičková.
The patron of the fundraising campaign is actor Jiří Bartoška, who is not only an admirer of Zdeněk Sýkora's work but also had a friendship with him. “In 1962, Zdeněk Sýkora painted a beautiful picture on the iron curtain. Unfortunately, after the reconstruction of the theatre, it ended up somewhere in the scrap metal. I was struck by the idea that the painting could return to the theatre's piazzetta as an 'entrance gate'. Of course, it is difficult to raise money, but that is why there are the citizens of Louny and people from across the country who know and respect the work of Zdeněk Sýkora to help gather the amount,” says Jiří Bartoška, who has also become a member of the Sýkora 2020 Association.
The association has set up a special account for the public fundraising campaign, where contributions can be sent: 2800851507/2010.
According to the preliminary budget from the architectural studio AP ATELIER led by Josef Pleskot, which was commissioned by the City of Louny in 2014 to prepare a study, the costs for the project implementation have been estimated at 5.7 million crowns (including VAT). “At this moment, we do not have an idea of how much money will be raised, but we believe that the amount will be large enough for successful implementation. Our goal is to raise the highest possible amount. We would appreciate any financial contribution,” added Jolana Planičková.
The purpose of the fundraising campaign is to gather funds that will be used exclusively for the modification of the piazzetta of the Vrchlický Theatre according to the project documentation by architect Josef Pleskot. Once a sufficient amount of money has been raised, the campaign will be concluded, and the entire proceeds will be handed over by the Sýkora 2020 Association to the City of Louny, which is the investor and implementer of the project. The piazzetta should be realized no later than 2020, to mark the 100th anniversary of Zdeněk Sýkora's birth.

Piazzetta of the Vrchlický Theatre
Renowned architect Josef Pleskot, along with Lenka Sýkorová, proposed to transfer the geometric composition from the fire curtain, which Sýkora designed for the Louny theatre in 1962, to the piazzetta. However, this unique curtain was lost during the theatre's reconstruction from 2001 to 2003 and is likely to have ended up in scrap metal.
The commission for Louny differs completely from Josef Pleskot's previous works and presents a challenge for the holder of multiple architectural awards. “This is about the application of an artistic work of a significant artist. Thus, it is a service not only for the users of public space but also a service to the artist and his work. It is an extremely responsible job with many overlaps that ordinary commissions do not usually have,” described Josef Pleskot.
“The essence of our proposal is to return Sýkora's composition to the public space where it once functioned. And since it cannot be returned to the iron curtain, the piazzetta seems to be a suitable opportunity,” says his wife Lenka Sýkorová, who is a co-author of the proposal.
The base of the piazzetta will be a concrete slab, but the final layer will be an epoxy coating that will allow for precise drawing of the geometric composition and coloring in black and white, as required by the artistic design of the work. It will not be a set mosaic, but a “painted” picture. The material properties must fully comply with sidewalk usage standards, for example, they should not slip or wear down from walking.

Sýkora 2020 Association:
The implementation of one of Sýkora's works in the public space of the city of Loun has been considered for over ten years, but previous plans always fell through. In 2013, under the leadership of Mayor Radovan Šabata, the City of Louny commissioned the architectural studio AP ATELIER of Josef Pleskot to prepare a study based on the proposal to modify the piazzetta of the Vrchlický Theatre. The aim was to remember and commemorate the significant Louny native painter Zdeněk Sýkora.
Unfortunately, the continuation of further parts of the project's implementation was postponed due to a lack of funds. The situation did not go unnoticed by supporters of Zdeněk Sýkora, who established the Sýkora 2020 Association in June 2015. In addition to public promotion of the project, the association aimed to reach out to partners and sponsors who could financially participate in its implementation. Thanks to the activities of the association, the City of Louny returned to the preparation of project implementation in mid-2016.

Project: Modification of the piazzetta of the Vrchlický Theatre using the work of Zdeněk Sýkora
Designer: AP ATELIER of Josef Pleskot (with Škardová and Zdeněk Rudolf)
Preliminary costs: 5.7 million crowns (including VAT)

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