Eight people are interested in leading the National Gallery

Prague - Eight people would like to lead the National Gallery in Prague after Milan Knížák. The selection committee will meet on April 14 and will evaluate applications anonymously, Viktorie Plívová from the press department of the ministry informed ČTK today.
    Given the number of candidates, one day may be sufficient for the committee to make a decision, according to her. The committee can recommend one candidate to the minister, rank multiple candidates, or may not recommend any, she added.
    Minister of Culture Václav Riedlbauch announced the selection process at the end of February. He would like to select a successor for the long-time head of the gallery, Milan Knížák, before the May elections. When the new director could take up the position is not yet clear. Knížák has repeatedly stated that he would like to remain at the helm of the NG until the end of next year. Riedlbauch also speaks of the necessity to maintain the continuity of the institution; he did not specify the date for Knížák's successor to start.
    In addition to the open competition, the ministry has also approached some potential candidates directly. These included Vít Vlnas, director of the Collection of Old Art at the NG, his predecessor Jiří Fajt, director of the Moravian Gallery in Brno Marek Pokorný, director of the Rudolfinum Gallery Petr Nedoma, and rector of the AAAD Pavel Liška. Liška has previously stated that he would not apply for the competition due to his age. Liška is 68 years old. Petr Nedoma also did not apply.
    "I believe that the Rudolfinum Gallery as a kunsthalle is in some respects on par with collection institutions," he told ČTK today. He also recalled that he gained significant public trust last year (after his then-superior, head of the Czech Philharmonic Vladimír Darjanin, wanted to dismiss him). "And I would not consider it very appropriate at this time to leave here in pursuit of some kind of fame," he stated. According to him, work at a kunsthalle is fundamentally different in nature from work in a collection institution. "And that is the reason why I work here," he explained his decision.
    The selection committee consists of 12 members, one-third of whom are foreign experts. Among the Czech representatives are Michal Stehlík, dean of the Faculty of Arts at Charles University, Tomáš Vlček, director of the Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art at the NG, and art historian Milena Bartlová. The foreign representatives include Klaus Albrecht Schröder, director of the Albertina Gallery in Vienna, Peter-Klaus Schuster, former general director of the State Museums in Berlin and the National Gallery in Berlin, Gunnar Kvaran, director of the Astrup Fearnley Museum in Oslo, and Lóránd Hegyi, general director of the Museum of Modern Art in Saint-Etienne.