Dismissal without explanation: National Gallery Prague enters uncertain chapter
On Thursday, Minister of Culture Oto Klempíř (Motorists party) dismissed the Director General of the National Gallery Prague, Alicja Knast. Her term was originally set to end at the end of this year. Although the dismissal complied with the law, experts agree it should have been handled differently.
The National Gallery Prague has scheduled a ceremonial opening of its new season for next Thursday at the Trade Fair Palace in Prague. However, this traditional event will now take place without its current Director General, Alicja Knast, who had already faced criticism in previous years. She will be temporarily replaced by the Director of the Collection of Old Art, Olga Kotková. According to former Minister of Culture Martin Baxa (ODS), the dismissal was highly unusual. The ministry, he argues, should have convened a press conference. This view is shared by Jan H. Vitvar, head of the culture section of Respekt magazine, who commented on the situation for Czech Radio's Rádiožurnál.
“It is not the dismissal of the Director General that surprises me, but the way it was done. The norm is that such a significant step is announced by the Minister of Culture, ideally alongside the director at a press conference, where both explain their positions and conclusions. Nothing like that happened.”
Knast won the selection process in 2020 and began her six-year term on January 1, 2021, meaning it was due to end this year. At the time, experts described her appointment as surprising. During the last electoral term, criticism and calls for her dismissal were already emerging. One of the critics was Jan H. Vitvar, who believes the National Gallery should have prepared more than just two major exhibitions for this year.
“I think that is far too little, and in my view, the director was unable to justify it. If she had enough energy and creativity, she could have introduced a more dynamic program, perhaps focused on young emerging artists, so that we wouldn’t be looking at an empty Trade Fair Palace.”
The gallery has long struggled with insufficient funding, a claim made by both Knast and former minister Martin Baxa. Therefore, Baxa praised her managerial skills, particularly her leadership during a difficult period.
“I consider it crucial that the project of the National Gallery’s depository in Jinonice was launched, which is absolutely essential for the institution’s development.”
The gallery will be temporarily led by the current Director of the Collection of Old Art, Olga Kotková. She specializes primarily in German, Austrian, and Dutch painting and sculpture of the 15th and 16th centuries. Minister of Culture Oto Klempíř stated on his profile that the ministry will soon announce an open selection process. From the new leadership, he expects stronger ties to both the domestic and international art scenes, as well as a full development of the gallery’s potential.
This year, the National Gallery Prague commemorates 230 years since its founding, linked to the establishment of the Society of Patriotic Friends of the Arts on February 5, 1796. The institution operates six buildings in Prague with permanent exhibitions and displays, and also organizes exhibitions in the Valdštejn Riding School, owned by the Senate. It manages the largest collection of fine art in the Czech Republic, spanning from antiquity to the present day.
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