The problem of NGP is not Knastová, but long-term underfunding, stated the expert

Prague - The main problem of the National Gallery Prague (NGP), whose director Alicja Knast was dismissed today by Minister of Culture Oto Klempíř (for Motorists), is long-term underfunding. Knast could not cope with this, and her successors will find it hard to manage it. This was stated by Tereza Stejskalová, director of the initiative for contemporary art tranzit.cz, in response to a ČTK inquiry.

According to her, under Knast, the NGP achieved successes such as at the Venice Biennial in 2024 but failed to present these successes to the public. Knast, who was born in Poland, first had to orient herself in the Czech environment and was, according to Stejskalová, somewhat lost in it.

"However, the main problem of the NGP is not at all personnel; it lies in its underfunding and its status as a contributory organization. It is too closely tied to the Ministry of Culture," Stejskalová stated.

According to her, it is not acceptable that a minister can dismiss a director so easily without a clear vision. "Oto Klempíř is, for me, a very incomprehensible figure so far. He cuts funding for live culture and then promises increases, one day he terrifies the entire cultural scene, and behind the scenes calms it down, saying something different every day," noted Stejskalová.

Klempíř is also, according to her, not in an enviable position. He seems to feel bound by the conservative ideology of the Motorists while remaining connected to the cultural scene and its interests. He cannot ignore them, as protests from the cultural community cast a negative light on the coalition of ANO, SPD, and Motorists.

The analogy between the NGP and events in the Slovak National Gallery in 2024 is not yet entirely clear to Stejskalová. After Slovak Minister of Culture Martina Šimkovičková dismissed the gallery's director Alexandra Kusá in the summer of 2024, protests and a collective resignation from part of the staff followed. According to Stejskalová, there are certainly pressures in the current Czech coalition to also take the Slovak path, especially evident in some statements from SPD MPs.