Representatives of cultural institutions and artists want the dismissal of Minister Staněk

Prague - Representatives of cultural institutions and artists have written a petition for the dismissal of Minister of Culture Antonín Staněk (ČSSD) and addressed it to Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) and the chairman of the Social Democracy party Jan Hamáček. The reason is the dismissal of the director of the National Gallery in Prague (NGP) Jiří Fajt and the director of the Museum of Art in Olomouc Michal Soukup.

The petitioners, including architect Eva Jiřičná, photographer Josef Koudelka, directors Jan Hřebejk and Olga Sommerová, head of drama at the National Theatre Daniel Špinar, and politician Karel Schwarzenberg, disagree with Staněk's reasons for the dismissal. According to the petitioners, the manner and timing of the dismissal resembles practices from the normalization period before 1989. The minister justified his decision by citing a loss of trust and alleged economic and management errors.

Staněk is on a several-day visit to China with President Miloš Zeman; his statement was conveyed by the Ministry of Culture spokesperson Martha Häckl. "I humanly understand the stirred emotions of the artists, but I regret that instead of a substantive and critical understanding of the reasons for the dismissal of both directors, an irrational atmosphere and intentional scare tactics in the form of an alleged threat to Czech culture prevail. Nothing like this is happening," stated Staněk.

The authors of the petition state that despite long-term underfunding of NGP's activities, Fajt managed to awaken a previously sleeping institution in a relatively short period. "Under his leadership, significant positive changes took place, which were welcomed by both the professional and lay public. Visitor numbers rose significantly, and through its exhibition program, the National Gallery in Prague secured its place among prestigious European exhibition institutions," they state.

The two previous ministers of culture, Daniel Herman and Ilja Šmíd, did not find any serious shortcomings in the activities and management of the NGP or the Museum of Art in Olomouc that would require any measures or interventions from the Ministry of Culture. "It is undeniable that the continuity of exhibition projects and significant foreign collaborations of the NGP is currently endangered, as well as financial support from partners and sponsors, whose credibility was guaranteed by the professionalism and expertise of Jiří Fajt," they wrote to Babiš.

According to them, the planned reconstruction of the Veletržní Palace and the announcement of an international architectural competition, as well as future cooperation with the Centre Pompidou in Paris, are also at risk. Babiš has previously supported both projects several times. The minister has also fundamentally harmed the good name and international program of the Museum of Art in Olomouc by using distorted and misleading arguments for the dismissal of its director Michal Soukup. The authors of the petition see either political motivation or Staněk's incompetence, or both, behind the dismissals of the directors.

"The legal reasons for the National Gallery in Prague have already been posted in a document on the website since yesterday. The reasons for the Museum of Art in Olomouc will be published in the coming hours there as well," Staněk wrote, adding that he is prepared to explain the reasons for the dismissal of both directors personally to the signatories of the petition. He promises to announce a selection procedure for both director positions at NGP and MUO "in a short time."