The Gallery of Modern Art in Hradec Králové will open after reconstruction

Hradec Králové - The Gallery of Modern Art in Hradec Králové will open on November 24 after nearly two and a half years of renovation. Initially, it was expected that the gallery would welcome visitors in spring. The opening was delayed by extensive restoration work and complications with the selection of a lighting supplier for the exhibitions. The costs of repairing the gallery amounted to about 120 million crowns. This was reported today by the spokesperson for the region, Martina Götzová.

Restorers will continue to work in the gallery until mid-November; the reconstruction of the gallery building itself has been completed since January. "The care of the restorers includes the sculptures of Ladislav Šaloun on the main façade, the entrance portal, the staircase, furniture, and historical wallpapers," the spokesperson said. The installation of exhibition lighting has been completed since September.

At its opening, the gallery will present a new permanent exhibition titled Transformations of the Image / Images of Transformations. It will familiarize visitors with the development of Czech visual art from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries to the works of contemporary artists. Visitors will also find spaces for temporary exhibitions and a graphic cabinet in the gallery.

"The Vladimir Preclík Gallery has also been relocated to the gallery building, for which a dedicated exhibition hall is reserved in the historic interiors on the first floor," said the gallery director, Tomáš Rybička. The basis of Preclík's exhibition is a collection of artworks that the artist donated to the Hradec Králové Region and which was previously located in the vestibule of the regional office.

The costs for the actual construction work amounted to approximately 97 million crowns including VAT, of which the region obtained a grant from European funds amounting to 53 million crowns. Additional funds were allocated from the region's budget for the interior equipment of the gallery and the reconstruction of apartments in the building.

The gallery is located in an Art Nouveau building on the Great Square, which was constructed between 1911 and 1912 according to the design of architect Osvald Polívka. The entrance façade is adorned with bronze sculptures by Ladislav Šaloun. The gallery has approximately 5,500 works of art and collections that were housed in temporary spaces during the renovation.