Czech Culture Minister Dismisses Director Of Prague's National Gallery

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Czech Culture Minister Oto Klempíř Removes Alicja Knast as Prague National Gallery Director, Prompting Political Concerns

Prague's National Gallery, custodian of some of Central Europe's most storied holdings, is entering a period of uncertainty after Czech culture minister Oto Klempíř dismissed Alicja Knast from her post as director.

The ministry did not provide a detailed public rationale for the decision. In an official release, the Czech culture ministry said the leadership change was intended to help the National Gallery“strengthen its position in the European context.” The abruptness of the move, and the lack of a formal explanation, has fueled scrutiny in the Czech Republic, where some observers have framed the dismissal as politically charged.

Knast, who was born in Poland, began leading the institution in 2021 after being appointed by Lubomir Zaoralek, a Social Democrat who was then serving as culture minister. Klempíř, a member of the right-wing Motorists party, became culture minister last year.

The decision arrives amid broader unease among some Czech artists about Klempíř's stewardship of cultural policy and funding. Before entering government, he was known as the lead singer of the funk rock band J.A.R. In a 2025 open letter, artists argued that the culture minister's role should be to protect artistic autonomy rather than compromise it.“A culture minister should safeguard the independence and diversity of artistic production, not undermine it,” the letter stated. Among the signatories was Eva Koťátková, who represented the Czech Republic at the 2024 Venice Biennale.

Klempíř has named Olga Kotková, the head of the museum's Old Masters collection, as interim director. In a statement, he described Kotková as someone“who knows the environment of the National Gallery perfectly and at the same time has a clear professional vision for its further development.”

Knast indicated she did not anticipate the dismissal.“I am somewhat surprised by this decision,” she told the television channel CT.

Questions have also been raised about how the change was handled. Martin Baxa, a former Czech culture minister, criticized the absence of a public announcement that would allow both sides to explain their positions.“It is not the dismissal of the Director General that surprises me, but the way it was done,” Baxa said in comments to Czech Radio's Rádiožurnál. He added that the norm is for such a consequential step to be communicated by the minister, ideally alongside the director at a press conference,“where both explain their positions and conclusions.”

The National Gallery's leadership matters well beyond Prague's museum district. The institution holds key works of Czech and Slovak 20th-century art, including modernist paintings by František Kupka and Alphonse Mucha, alongside major names in the European canon. Its collection includes works by Gustav Klimt, Peter Paul Rubens, Vincent van Gogh, Lucas Cranach the Elder, and Rembrandt van Rijn.

With Kotková stepping in on an interim basis and no detailed explanation offered for Knast's removal, attention is likely to remain fixed on what the ministry expects from the museum next, and how the National Gallery's international standing will be measured under new leadership.

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