Prague, Oct 15 (CTK) – Swiss art historian Marius Winzeler will be the new director of the Czech National Gallery (NG) Old Art Collection as from January 2016 and its main goal will be to renovate long-time exhibitions, NG’s spokeswoman Tereza Jezkova has told CTK.
Winzeler has headed the Municipal Museum in Zittau, Germany, since 2009.
NG director Jiri Fajt dismissed the former director of the Old Arts Collection, Vit Vlnas, last December already.
Together with him, the directors of the 19th century Art Collection and the Modern and Contemporary Arts Collection, Sarka Leubnerova and Helena Musilova, respectively, also ended at the NG.
Fajt heralded personnel changes right after he became director in July 2014, but he only launched a tender for the collection directors in March.
Since no candidate was chosen, the competition commission recommended to Fajt that he look for candidates abroad, too.
It was decided previously that Milena Kalinovska will lead the Modern and Contemporary Arts Collection.
Winzeler, 44, is the author of important exhibition projects in Germany, Switzerland as well as the Czech Republic.
He has led a number of international projects in cooperation with the Czech Republic and Poland.
The NG says the Old Arts Collection keeps quality and audiences-attractive Medieval and Early Renaissance stocks that are among the most valuable of their kind in the world.
The collection of baroque art with many specimens of Czech and European painting and sculpture is also remarkable.
Jezkova said in revatalising the Old Arts Collections, Winzeler will have to closely cooperate with church institutions and other partner museums and private collectors.
