Two companies are applying for the lease of Špálovka

Prague - Two companies, PPF Art and myCode, are competing for the lease of the famous Václav Špála Gallery on Prague's Národní Street. Alexandr Koráb, a spokesman for Prague 1, which owns the gallery space, told ČTK today.
    The Semma agency, which won a competition in 2007 and was supposed to operate the gallery until 2017, is reportedly ending its operations in the traditional exhibition hall at the end of May due to financial reasons. The municipal authority of the first district, which acquired the space from the Housing Enterprise of Prague 1 in February, has therefore announced another tender. Only one participant applied, prompting the municipal authority to call for another round. Subsequently, another company submitted an application.
    PPF Art is part of the PPF financial group and manages, operates, and conducts acquisition activities related to its collection of Czech and Slovak photography. It is also involved in similar activities for the art collection of Česká pojišťovna, with Pavel Lagner as the curator. PPF Art organizes exhibitions of contemporary artists in two of its own galleries - Galerie České pojišťovny and the Atelier of Josef Sudek, which PPF reconstructed. PPF Art also operates the Louvre Photography Gallery.
    The PPF group's collection features authors such as Josef Sudek, František Drtikol, Jan Lukas, Alexander Hackenschmied, Václav Chochola, Ladislav Sitenský, Emila Medková, Běla Kolářová, Tono Stano, and Ivan Pinkava. Today, the PPF group's collection is considered one of the most significant private collections of Czech photography in the country.
    The myCode project was established in 2004 as a cultural internet portal by Radek Krčil, Radek Váňa, Lukáš Malý, and Jan Zachariáš. According to their website, all of them had prior experience in organizing cultural and artistic projects. MyCode focuses primarily on promoting design and, among other things, supports talented students, collaborating with the AAAD (Academy of Art, Architecture and Design in Prague).
    A professional committee appointed by the municipal council will select the new tenant. Its members, including Karel Srp, Zdeněk Lukeš, and Věra Jirousová, checked today whether the applications for the competition meet formal requirements. The winner is expected to be chosen by the end of April. According to a previous statement from the municipal authority, the annual exhibition plan will be decisive. The municipal authority aims to sign a contract with the new tenant by the end of May.
    The gallery named after the famous Czech painter was established in 1957. It experienced its greatest glory from 1965 to 1970 when it was curated by Jindřich Chalupecký. In the 70s and 80s, exhibitions of official art were held in the Špála Gallery.
    After 1989, a quality program returned to the gallery. However, in 2002, the Czech Art Fund Foundation began to manage the program itself, as it had rented the building. The foundation did not focus on the exhibition concept but rented the gallery freely. The artistic community protested against the decline of the gallery, but it wasn't until 2007 that a tender for a new tenant was announced.