The chief curator of the capital city gallery Srp has been removed from office

Prague - The chief curator Karel Srp is leaving the Gallery of the Capital City of Prague (GHMP). He was dismissed by the new director of GHMP, Magdalena Juříková. The gallery's spokesperson Michaela Moučková informed ČTK about this. Art historian Srp is regarded as one of the leading experts in visual arts in the Czech Republic; he prepared successful exhibitions for GHMP, including those featuring Toyen, Jindřich Štyrský, and the recent exhibition of Krištof Kintera. Srp did not want to comment on his dismissal and intends to seek legal recourse.
According to director Juříková, Srp is leaving for organizational reasons. "His role as the head of the collection digitization project and also the exhibition plan for this year, which he submitted as head curator in November 2012 in a form that could not be accepted either programmatically or economically, played a significant role in my decision,” Juříková told ČTK.
Srp received his notice on Wednesday. "I have handed my notice to a lawyer, and he will likely defend it through legal means,” Srp told ČTK.
A successor has already been chosen for the vacant position - curator Hana Larvová, who previously managed the František Bílek Center.
The gallery has not yet published the exhibition plan for this year. However, it already has some large exhibitions, which are planned for a long time. These include the exhibition of Radek Kratina at the House of the Stone Bell, Nikola Čulík at the Old Town Hall, or a photography exhibition by Vladimír Birgus at the City Library.
Srp served as director of GHMP from 2005 to 2007. He was then dismissed by the city council due to alleged deficiencies in public procurement, among other reasons due to a contract for the restoration of the Jan Hus monument in the Old Town Square, which was said to be unfavorable for the city. Srp did not acknowledge the reasons for his dismissal at the time, and he was opposed by several professionals. He then worked as a curator at the gallery.
In the past, Srp was also criticized for his participation in the Artbank project (Museum of Young Art), where a space was supposed to be created for the presentation of young Czech and Slovak artists. The project was unpopular with part of the art scene and some representatives of Prague's TOP 09. According to them, the project, which is set to conclude in January, is disadvantageous for Prague.