The Ostrava House of Art will transform into a modern European gallery

Ostrava - The Ostrava House of Art is set to transform into a modern European gallery over the next five years. The listed building in the city center will undergo a complete reconstruction next year. The Moravian-Silesian Region is also planning an extension costing hundreds of millions of crowns. The Gallery of Fine Arts in Ostrava would thus gain exhibition space that it has long been lacking. Jiří Jůza, the director of the gallery, said this to ČTK today.
    According to him, the Ostrava Gallery of Fine Arts has long struggled with a lack of space for displaying its art collections. It keeps about 25,000 exhibits in its depositories, but it can display only around a hundred in the House of Art. "This is truly distressing. Moreover, the House of Art is in very poor condition - it needs repairs to the foundations, exterior walls, and roof," Jůza added.
    The Moravian-Silesian Region, which is behind the gallery, aims to start the reconstruction of the entire building next year. The House of Art is to have quality depositories for storing valuable works, a café, and spaces for visitor relaxation. However, this will not increase the exhibition space, which is why the region plans to extend the building with the help of European subsidies, said the deputy governor Petr Adamec to ČTK.
    The extension of the House of Art has been the focus of around eighty architecture students at the Brno University of Technology. They developed architectural designs for the building as part of their bachelor theses in the form of a competition. All proposals are exhibited in the House of Art and in the gallery's New Hall in Ostrava-Poruba until September 27. "For the gallery, students' works are an inspiration and can help in preparing the commission for a potential architectural competition for the extension of the House of Art," said the exhibition curator Petr Beránek to ČTK.
    According to Jůza, the extension of the House of Art should meet all the characteristics of a modern European gallery of the 21st century. "In addition to spaces for holding demanding exhibitions, visitors should find information, relaxation, and educational centers. There should be areas for schools, families with children, seniors, and people with disabilities who wish to actively engage with fine art," he said to ČTK.