Historian art wants an open competition for the head of NG

Prague - Art historians are asking the Minister of Culture Alena Hanáková (TOP 09 and STAN) to announce an open selection procedure for the position of director of the National Gallery in Prague. However, the ministry plans to establish a yet unspecified panel of experts from the field of fine arts, which will identify candidates and recommend one for direct appointment. It is not clear yet when a successor to Vladimír Rösel, who was dismissed by the minister a month ago, should be appointed.
"The panel will meet for the first time on June 4," said Lenka Brandtová, spokesperson for the ministry, to ČTK. "At this point, we cannot publish names because we do not have the consent of the panel members. They will discuss this at their first meeting," she added. Some names appeared in the media today, but according to the spokesperson, the list is not accurate. Previously, ČTK was told that the panel will also consider the results of the competition from 2011, so it is possible that among the identified candidates will be participants from that competition. At that time, former director of the Moravian Gallery Marek Pokorný and art historian Jiří Fajt were among the candidates.
The committee of the Art Historical Society (UHS) sent a letter to the Minister of Culture on Thursday, which ČTK has available. It also refers to an earlier text sent to the minister, which pointed out some allegedly non-transparent aspects of the selection procedures for the directors of the Moravian Gallery in Brno and the Museum of Art in Olomouc. It requested, among other things, whether a UHS member could standardly be a member of committees appointed for similar selection procedures in the future.
Historians state that filling the position of NG director is a key competence that the minister can exercise from her position towards their field. Therefore, they are asking Hanáková to announce an open competition, appoint a selection committee, and publish the requirements that the ministry has for candidates for the position of NG director. They also want the ministry to publish the list of candidates, the committee's recommendations including justifications, the subsequent decision of the minister including justification - especially if it contradicts the committee's recommendation - and finally the publication of projects from all candidates.
Speculation about the dismissal of economist Rösel from the head of NG had been ongoing for a long time, but the minister only decided on this step after nearly two years in office. The ministry had recently returned the NG development proposal to him for the third time for revision. According to Hanáková, Rösel did not demonstrate an understanding of the gallery's mission and is not a guarantee for its development. The director rejected the reasons for his dismissal but respected the minister's decision. The management of NG is temporarily entrusted to Vít Vlnas, director of the Collection of Old Art.