Architects and artists have signed a petition for Kaplický's building

Prague - Architects, artists, historians, and educators from these fields have written a petition in support of the construction of a new National Library (NK) building based on the winning design by Jan Kaplický. According to them, the project is an extraordinary work of architectural art that fits into the selected space due to its concept, technical and aesthetic quality.
    The petition responds to the recent developments around the library, where some members of the Prague council from the ODS, including Mayor Pavel Bém, have expressed negative opinions about the proposal. Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek, also a member of the same party, stated on Tuesday that the construction of the library is not among the government's priorities.
    The views of the mayor and the author of the proposal have so far confronted only through the media; both are expected to meet in a program on Nova TV on Thursday evening. Kaplický, during one of his television appearances, expressed hope that he would meet with his opponents in substantive debate; according to him, television appearances are not a platform for resolving the current dispute.
    "Due to its extraordinary aesthetic values, the building can become a new landmark of Prague without negatively impacting the historical part of the city and its skyline," said Jiří Černický, the organizer of the petition, an artist and recipient of the Jindřich Chalupecký Prize, to ČTK.
    The building based on Kaplický's design could, on the contrary, complement and enrich the overall appearance of the panorama, similar to many other significant historical and modern buildings that had to face similar attacks and incompetent criticism in their time, he stated.
    The petition committee also includes architect David Vávra, director of the Center for Contemporary Art Ludvík Hlaváček, architecture historian Zdeněk Lukeš, designers Jan Němeček and Michal Froněk (Olgoj chorchoj), rector of the Academy of Art, Architecture, and Design (UMPRUM) Pavel Liška, vice-rector of the Academy of Fine Arts (AVU) Jiří Ševčík, and gallery owner Alberto Di Stefano.
    "We are convinced that Prague must not miss the opportunity to acquire such an exceptional building from one of the most important architects of the present, who is also Czech," the authors of the petition say.
    They remind that Jan Kaplický's library won the international competition unanimously, in which the jury included representatives of the city, UNESCO, and leading world architects. According to them, the site where the library is to be built was approved by the Prague council. Disregarding these facts would be an unforgivable nonsense, the petition committee believes.
    According to architects and artists, it would be a great shame if the building does not come into being - also because it has already been in the design stage "drawing admiring attention from all over the world," as the National Library also states. For example, Kaplický's design received the highest award during the traditional summer exhibition organized by the British Royal Academy of Arts.