Representatives of Czech culture support the dismissed director of the Slovak National Gallery

Press conference regarding the dismissal of the director of SNG, August 7, 2024 (photo: Mgr. Zuzana Dzurdzíková)

Prague - Representatives of Czech cultural institutions expressed support for the director of the Slovak National Gallery, Alexandra Kusá, following her dismissal from office. According to the Council of Galleries of the Czech Republic, she was instrumental in creating an internationally recognized institution. In a statement available to ČTK, the council stated that Kusá's dismissal undermined the principles of democratic development of society and significantly threatened the free development of the institution. The gallery's director was dismissed on Wednesday by the Slovak Minister of Culture, Martina Šimkovičová. Concern or surprise over her dismissal was also expressed, for example, by the National Gallery in Prague.

The Slovak Ministry of Culture criticized, among other things, Kusá's management decisions. She had been at the head of the institution since 2010, and she described the ministry's step as a result of mutual incompatibility.

"Alexandra Kusá has significantly contributed not only to the completion of the institutional background of the gallery, but especially through her expertise and management skills, she created a functioning and internationally respected institution that has become a leader and innovator in museum operations in many aspects, from which the operations of Czech art museums also benefit. She advocates openness and collegiality, earning great respect not only in the Czech environment," wrote the Council of Galleries of the Czech Republic in its statement.

The National Gallery in Prague (NGP) also expressed great concern over Kusá's dismissal. "We consider the independence of culture and the freedom of artistic expression to be one of the fundamental pillars of democracy. The dismissal of the director of the Slovak National Gallery, Alexandra Kusá, and the director of the Slovak National Theatre in such a short time seems unclear and surprising - given the high-quality work that Mrs. Kusá has been doing, whether it related to reconstruction, new program plans for the gallery, or infrastructure that had a European level under her leadership," said NGP spokesperson Jana Holcová.

Czech Minister of Culture Martin Baxa wrote on social media X on Wednesday that he values his collaboration with Kusá and admires the current form of the Slovak National Gallery. "I got to know Alexandra Kusá in recent months while preparing the reconstruction of the Czechoslovak Pavilion in Venice and the successful joint presentation of our countries at the Venice Biennale. In June, I then visited the reconstructed spaces of the Slovak National Gallery in Bratislava and an excellent exhibition of Ukrainian Art Nouveau. I greatly appreciate my collaboration with Alexandra Kusá, and the new form of the Slovak National Gallery is truly admirable. I wish her all the best in whatever she decides to pursue in the future. She has significant results behind her," he wrote.

The rector of the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, Maria Topolčanská, considers the policy of the Slovak Minister of Culture to be one of the dangerous manifestations of autocracy of the current Slovak government. According to her, the dismissal of Alexandra Kusá is just another attack on liberal democratic institutions in the state.

Curator of the Gallery of Critics, Vlasta Čiháková-Noshiro, told ČTK that she views the dismissal as a logical step and a culmination of the current situation in Slovakia.

The Slovak Ministry of Culture stated as one of the reasons for the dismissal that Kusá is a relative of the contractor and partner of the original contractor for the reconstruction project of the Slovak National Gallery and that the value of the contract was increasing through amendments, which the office considers unacceptable. The ministry, like Šimkovičová before, criticized the Slovak exhibition at this year's visual arts biennale in Venice. "The reason is clear. We are not compatible," said Kusá to journalists regarding her dismissal. She compared its reasons to a collection of lies and half-truths.

The ministry appointed Anton Bittner to lead the Slovak National Gallery, who is considered a crisis manager by the ministry.