At the head of the National Gallery will be economist Rösel, it is decided

Prague - Economist Vladimír Rösel will head the National Gallery (NG), a decision made today by Minister of Culture Jiří Besser (for TOP 09). He preferred a manager over art historian Jiří Fajt, who was a prominent critic of the previous NG chief Milan Knížák. Rösel will be appointed to the position on June 1, as he was also recommended by a professional committee to Besser. Some experts, however, are concerned that Rösel lacks art historical education and sufficient experience in the artistic field.
     "It was not an easy decision, but in the end, I leaned towards letting NG be led by someone capable of establishing a new direction for this institution," said Besser. Rösel's team, according to him, presented a much more comprehensive development concept for NG, which opens the institution to foreign influences and will be able to account for the current economic situation not only within NG but also in relation to the state budget.
       "I only know about my election from the media so far, but I am still waiting for an official announcement from the Ministry of Culture," Rösel told ČTK after Besser's press conference. His team includes the director of the NG collection of old art, Vít Vlnas, who in the past was one of the critics of the current management of the institution.
      Rösel will be appointed as the new director on June 1. For the next three months, he will then hand over the agenda with the current director of NG, Milan Knížák.
      The final verdict from the minister followed several rounds of selection proceedings. In addition to Rösel and Fajt, the director of the Moravian Gallery, Marek Pokorný, and Michail Odarčenko, who previously served as an advisor to former mayor Pavel Bém, also participated. The candidates first introduced themselves to a ten-member expert committee, which included officials from the Ministry of Culture as well as representatives from the artistic community.