The Gallery of Modern Art in Hradec Králové opened after renovation

Hradec Králové - The Hradec Králové Region today opened the Gallery of Modern Art in Hradec Králové after nearly two and a half years of reconstruction. The renovation of the Art Nouveau building of the former Loan Guarantee Institute from 1912 cost 126 million CZK and was one of the largest investments by the region in recent years. The region received a European grant of 50 million CZK for the reconstruction, which took six months longer than planned, said Governor Jiří Štěpán (ČSSD), who has led the region since November 7.

The gallery, which is one of the main cultural institutions in the region, today presented a new permanent exhibition titled "Transformations of Image / Images of Transformation," which traces the development of Czech visual art from the turn of the 19th to the 20th century up to the work of contemporary artists.

"The Vladimir Preclík Gallery has also been relocated to the building (from the governor's office). The basis of its changing exhibition is a collection of artworks that this important Czech sculptor and native of Hradec Králové donated to the Hradec Králové Region," said the gallery director Tomáš Rybička.

The region originally expected that the gallery would welcome visitors as early as March, with other announced dates being June and September. The opening was delayed due to extensive restoration work and complications in selecting the supplier for the exhibition lighting.

The delay was caused, for example, by the need to restore a hundred-year-old paper wallpaper discovered on the first floor. "The wallpapers, which imitate leather, were covered with white wallpaper and repainted, and there were, for example, traces of dowels in them. They were in very poor condition," Rybička said.

According to him, restoring the stucco ceilings on the ground floor and first floor was also demanding. "Previously, the ceilings were just white; now their color has been restored. It was possible to determine the original colors of the ceilings, which consist of 35 colors and shades," he noted. He added that the gilding of the ceiling ornaments with gold leaf cost more than one million CZK. The original wooden built-in furniture, such as in the director's historical office, also underwent restoration.

The construction part of the gallery's reconstruction was completed at the end of last year. This year, artistic elements of the interiors and the façade of the building were restored.

"Among other things, the sculptures of Ladislav Šaloun on the main façade were entrusted to the restorers. These works were one of the reasons for the postponement of the date of the ceremonial opening," said the new regional councilor for investments Václav Řehoř (ODS).

The reconstruction of the gallery itself cost 95 million CZK. The refurbishment of the former apartments into offices cost another 12 million CZK. Among other things, the regional contribution organization Support Center for Artistic Activities Impuls moved there. The installation of exhibition spaces cost six million CZK, the lighting expenses exceeded four million, and two million was spent on the modification of the depot.

"Given the historical value of the hundred-year-old building, it was necessary to meet the requirements of conservationists, which required more than 6.5 million CZK," explained the region's spokesperson Martina Götzová. The gallery is located in a building on Velké náměstí designed by architect Osvald Polívka. The gallery holds approximately 5,500 works of art and collections that were in temporary spaces during the renovations.