Reconstruction of the façade and roof of the Art Museum in Olomouc

Olomouc - The Museum of Art in Olomouc will open its permanent exhibition of modern art on Thursday after a nine-month break, which was closed due to the renovation of the facade and roof. However, only a part of the exhibition will be accessible to the public for now. The reason is unexpected complications during the repairs; the roof insulation was damaged more than anticipated. The entire renovation is expected to be completed by the end of October, informed CTK spokesman for the museum, Petr Bielesz.

The museum closed the permanent exhibition of modern art for repairs at the end of last September. Initially, it was supposed to open both floors of the exhibition at the end of June this year, but visitors will only see the part dedicated to art from the second half of the 20th century during the holidays. "The exhibition hall in the attic, where we exhibit art from the first half of the 20th century, will have to remain closed until October," said museum director Michal Soukup.

The newly opened section of the exhibition will also feature works by the founder of op-art, Victor Vasarely, including his painting Terek from 1951 and the tapestry Harmas from 1966. "Both works, which we obtained in 2014 from the collection of the artist's grandson Pierre Vasarely, are key to Vasarely's oeuvre," said curator Gina Renotière. Last year, the museum also managed to acquire Vasarely's works on paper. However, visitors to the permanent exhibition will not see three dozen serigraphs. "Works on paper cannot be exhibited long-term," explained the curator.

The museum's management has been working on the renovation of the facade and roof since the 1990s. The repair will cost 12 million crowns, with funding provided by the Ministry of Culture. The museum intends to present the repaired building to the public at the end of October on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the last renovation of the building according to the design of architect Jaroslav Kovář the Younger. The history of the building dates back to 1246 when a refuge for lepers was established there.

In the coming years, the museum plans further repairs. In 2018, it aims to complete the renovation of the former Central cinema, and modifications at the Theater of Music are also planned.