Ostrava: New Administrative Building of the Gallery of Fine Arts

Ostrava - The Gallery of Fine Arts in Ostrava has a new administrative building. It will thus have much more space for storing works of art. The reconstruction of the four-story building on Poděbradová Street in the city center was financed by the region from its budget. The annual renovation cost approximately 39 million crowns, said the spokesperson of the regional office, Barbara Odstrčilíková, today to ČTK.
She added that in the new building, in addition to a depository and administrative section, there is also a publicly accessible library with a study room, social facilities, and workshops. "The conditions for storing and utilizing the art collections owned by the region will improve significantly and the services for researchers will be enhanced," explained the deputy governor, Petr Adamec. He added that during the summer, not only the new study room will be opened to the public, but also the professional library, which is currently located in the Nová síň in Ostrava-Poruba. According to Adamec, the opening of the new building will also significantly improve the situation at the House of Art, where the gallery has its permanent exhibitions, as it will have more space for them.
The administrative building was renovated in cooperation with historic preservationists. The building stands in a heritage zone but is not a directly protected object. It was built around 1910 as a city house. In recent years, due to its poor technical condition, it was not utilized.
The Gallery of Fine Arts in Ostrava was established in 1952 as a regional gallery. The gallery is located in the House of Art built in 1926, which is one of the significant buildings of Ostrava's modern architecture. The gallery's collection includes, for example, Czech art of the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as a collection of European art, including works by Italian authors and examples of Mannerist painting from the Rudolfine era.