Alšova gallery has obtained 50 million Czech crowns for the reconstruction of two buildings

České Budějovice - More than 50 million crowns have been awarded to the Alšova South Bohemian Gallery (AJG) from the EU subsidy program IROP for the reconstruction of two of its buildings. These include the Wortner House in České Budějovice, where short-term exhibitions are held, and the Sparta building in the Prague suburb of České Budějovice. Starting this September, the gallery will be exhibiting only in the castle riding hall in Hluboká nad Vltavou for more than a year. This was stated by AJG director Aleš Seifert.

Thanks to the European grant, the gallery will remodel the Wortner House. New storage rooms and a new permanent exhibition showcasing the AJG sculpture collection will be created. “We are also planning a small extension and improving the comfort for visitors, not only with new restrooms, but especially by installing an elevator in the building, which will allow access to the Wortner House for handicapped individuals,” said Seifert.

The gallery also received funds from IROP for the Sparta building, which is located in the housing estate near the IGY shopping center. The reconstruction will bring new storage rooms and an educational center called Atelier. This will be open in the afternoons, six days a week, offering drawing, graphics, and modeling.

“Both buildings deserve it. We will close them in September, and we will reopen in full operation in spring 2019. Therefore, starting this September, the only exhibition space for a year will be the castle riding hall in Hluboká,” said Seifert. During the period of building repairs, AJG is planning exhibitions in other cities, such as Třeboň. Last year, nearly 60,000 people visited the gallery, about a thousand fewer than in 2015. Approximately 25,000 people visited the Wortner House last year.

At the main exhibition of the season, AJG will present works by Victor Vasarely in the castle riding hall in Hluboká nad Vltavou this year. The retrospective, which will cost 1.3 million crowns to organize, will also feature previously unexhibited works.

The Alšova South Bohemian Gallery was established in 1953, and its collections are adorned with works from the Gothic period and the 1960s. It is funded by the South Bohemian Region, which provided it with a contribution of 28.4 million crowns this year, five million more than last year. AJG will also receive another million crowns for the reconstruction of the lighting in the permanent exhibitions.