Mánes is after reconstruction, it will reopen in a few months

Photo from the 1930s; source NČA

Prague - The building of the Prague exhibition hall Mánes has been repaired. Currently, its manager, the Czech Fine Arts Foundation, is taking over the construction and awaiting occupancy approval. "The restaurant still needs to be equipped, we have already selected the tenant. It should open within a few months," said the foundation's board chairman, Petr Siegl, to ČTK.
According to him, the operational costs of the entire building, which received modern technology for gallery spaces during the reconstruction, should be partially covered by the rental income from the restaurant and office spaces. "We expect that the restaurant could contribute about 20 percent to the costs, around 35 percent from office rents, and 45 percent must be covered by exhibition activities," Siegl said.
He noted that artists are interested in exhibitions in this traditional Prague gallery space, but it will be necessary for sponsors to financially contribute to its operation. Given the new technologies added to the halls, the operation will be costly, according to Siegl. The foundation will be responsible for the composition of the exhibition program.
It has faced criticism for a long time from some artists and art theorists regarding how it manages its assets. According to those who created its shadow board, the foundation inadequately represents the fine art scene, and its board is not elected transparently. The foundation rejects these criticisms.
The shadow council also criticized the fact that the foundation temporarily transferred the building of Mánes last year to Apella fine arts, a company it established in 2009. The transfer of foundation assets was a condition for obtaining the loan the foundation wanted for the reconstruction of Mánes; critics feared that the foundation was intentionally incurring debt with the intention of declaring insolvency.
The reconstruction of the significant monument of Czech modern architecture began in the spring of 2012. The functionalist building is expected to regain its original appearance from the 1930s after the repair. The foundation planned to cover one-third of the approximately 150 million crowns repair costs from its own resources. It sought additional funds from sponsors and also from European sources, but this did not go according to plan, which is why it wanted to obtain a loan. As the chairman of the board now said to ČTK, the building of Mánes will again be transferred to the foundation as its property.