Staněk announced a selection procedure for the director of the Olomouc Museum of Art

Praha/Olomouc - The Minister of Culture Antonín Staněk (ČSSD) announced a selection procedure for a new director of the Museum of Art Olomouc (MUO). The previous head, Michal Soukup, was dismissed by Staněk along with the director of the National Gallery in Prague, Jiří Fajt, in April, and both were additionally reported to the police due to the financial management of both institutions. Representatives of the Museum of Art Olomouc consider the competition announcement premature, stating that Soukup's dismissal is invalid, said museum spokesman Tomáš Kasal to ČTK today.

The dismissal of both directors has provoked criticism, with parts of the artistic community calling for the minister's resignation. Staněk ultimately submitted his resignation, but President Miloš Zeman did not accept it. The ČSSD insisted on his departure, prompting Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) to send a request for Staněk's dismissal to the Castle at the end of May. The president has yet to decide on it. On Thursday, he is to discuss the change at the head of the ministry with Babiš and the chairman of the ČSSD, Jan Hamáček.

The Ministry of Culture informed ČTK today that a person with a university education, who can prove three years of experience in a managerial position and civil integrity, may apply for the position of director or director of the Olomouc Museum of Art. They must also present a concept for the Museum of Art Olomouc for the years 2019 to 2025. "Preference will be given to a person with knowledge in the fields of museums and galleries, sectoral legislation, and state cultural policy. The candidate must be oriented in the professional ethical code of ICOM and have an overview of public administration and culture in general, ideally with experience in managing a large cultural institution," the office wrote.

"Our goal is to select an experienced and respected personality at the head of the museum with a clear cultural vision for the future, with managerial skills and an interest in managing this significant institution honestly and economically. Olomouc certainly deserves such a personality," stated Staněk today. The new director will have a term of six years, and according to ministry expectations, should take office in November.

The management of the Museum of Art Olomouc has been entrusted to Ondřej Zatloukal until a new director is appointed. However, museum representatives insist that Soukup remains the director. They claim that his dismissal is invalid because the minister's decision from April 18 has not yet been personally received by Soukup, as he is on sick leave. The museum refers to a legal interpretation. "We consider the dismissal of the director of the Museum of Art Olomouc to be invalid due to the failure to meet the legally required conditions. Mr. Soukup is therefore still the director of the museum, and we consider the holding of the selection procedure to be premature," said spokesman Kasal to ČTK today.

Representatives of the ministry had previously told ČTK that the dismissal has taken effect. "The dismissal of the director of the Museum of Art, Michal Soukup, was duly sent via postal services, and if Mr. Soukup does not accept it, it takes effect after ten days anyway, thus coming into effect," said the spokeswoman of the Ministry of Culture, Martha Häckl, to ČTK.

Staněk had previously stated that the selection procedure for the new head of the National Gallery in Prague would be announced once the professional public agrees on its conditions.

Social Democrats want to replace Staněk, whom Hamáček claims is unable to calm the situation in the department, with the party's deputy chairman Michal Šmarda. The president is hesitating on the replacement. He wants to wait for the outcome of the criminal complaints that Staněk filed against Fajt, Soukup, and his predecessor Pavla Zatloukala. Social Democrats insist they have the right to decide on their representative in the cabinet and are considering further participation in the coalition with ANO. Constitutional lawyers and political scientists believe that the president should have decided on the prime minister's proposal for Staněk's dismissal without unnecessary delay, which he did not. Zeman argues that the constitution does not set any deadline for him to decide.