Prague - The reconstruction of the famous Prague house Mánes is likely to be postponed until next year. The Foundation for Czech Visual Art had aimed to start repairs on the functionalist building, which was created as a community house, as early as June. "We are planning the exhibition program until the beginning of next year because a six-month delay in starting the reconstruction is inevitable," said Martin Pavala, chairman of the board of trustees, to ČTK. The delay was reportedly caused by administrative procedures that will postpone the issuance of the building permit until the second half of this year; the foundation originally wanted to have it by April. Only after that can the final phase of the project be completed, which will take about three months. In December, the owner of one of the most significant monuments of Czech modern architecture estimated the cost of the reconstruction at 100 million crowns. The foundation optimistically believed that it would largely finance the reconstruction from its own resources, for example, by selling works from its collections at auctions. However, it did not rule out the possibility of negotiations with potential sponsors. "For now, however, negotiations are not complete and more are being sought. The current crisis is evidently affecting sponsors' approach. We will probably have to submit requests for co-financing from subsidy funds," stated Pavala. According to him, the exact budget will not be known until the overall completion of the project and may be higher than the mentioned sum. The foundation is financing the project and everything related to it from its own resources, such as historical and technical surveys. It claims it will be able to cover a significant portion of the reconstruction costs, but not all of them. The reconstruction plans to repair the main exhibition hall, which should gain better technical specifications. Two new spaces enabling screenings, lectures, workshops, auctions, and exhibitions should be created in the basement. Next to the hall, the foundation wants to restore the original restaurant with a terrace and a painted ceiling by Emil Filla. The grandson of the building's author Otakar Novotný, architect and vice-chairman of the Mánes Association Tomáš Novotný, is not very satisfied with the project. He was invited as a consultant, which he refused because he believes that as an heir, he should have the right to intervene more in the project. The heir has also long criticized the fact that courts awarded the building to the foundation, not to today's Mánes Association. The foundation asserts that the author's law does not apply to the reconstruction as planned; however, the owner of the copyright should be informed of the intention, which the foundation does not oppose, as stated on its website. The building was commissioned by the Mánes Association in 1930. Its activities were violently interrupted in 1949; in 1956 it was dissolved, and the house was transferred to the Czech Fund for Visual Arts, which transformed into the Foundation of the Czech Fund for Art in the 1990s. The association restored its activities in 1990, and since 1993 it has been in litigation with the foundation over the building. Since 2004, the building has belonged to the foundation. Courts of all instances have considered the foundation to be the successor of the original association, not the current one. The representatives of Mánes disagree with the court's decisions, claiming that the building was stolen from them.
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