The refurbished SNG (source: Sme - Jozef Jakubčo)
The SNG is ready to open more than 20 years after closing a significant part of the exhibition premises of the Slovak National Gallery (SNG) in Bratislava, due to its derelict condition and almost seven years since the launch of construction works. The general public will be able to see the refurbished as well as brand new premises of SNG next Sunday, December 11.
“During the opening day, visitors will be able to enjoy the all-day programme, two inaugural exhibitions, a special project of works in architecture and, of course, breathe in the unique novelty we have all been waiting for,” said Alexandra Kusá, SNG’s general director.
Kusá calls the reconstruction of the national gallery a historic moment not only for the SNG, but also the whole country.
“It's the largest cultural construction that we started and completed after the Velvet Revolution (in 1989),” she said.
Seven years, €75.5 million
The refurbishment of the SNG’s premises, a combination of baroque military barracks, a palace and a modern extension designed by architect Vladimír Dedeček from the 1970s on the Danube embankment, took place based on a project of architects Martin Kusý and Pavol Paňák. The construction work lasted sewen years and the price tag is €75.5 million.
“Our aim was to create an authentic place that combines the last four centuries of architecture, spaces for the modern operation of the SNG and the presentation of Slovak fine arts,” said Paňák during a press conference.
Have a walk
To guide visitors through the new premises, the SNG has prepared 12 unique exhibition experiences within the Prologue. 12 Colours of Reality exhibition. They will have the opportunity to view the works of old masters, modern art and contemporary art in various, often surprising, interplays of relationships and dialogue. In an unconventional combination of works from different periods, it has taken a retrospective of the gallery’s acquisitions over the past 30 years and showcased SNG collections in all their diversity. The magnitude of the installations will also give them a sense of the upcoming permanent exhibitions that will gradually be introduced from 2023.
The second inaugural exhibition will be Take p(art)! Within, through which the SNG will try to answer curious inquiries and open a dialogue about art’s basic principles, both in the past and present.
The admission will be free on December 11. Afterwards it will be €2. The SNG will be open until December 21 this year.
Next year, due to the size and the need to ensure smooth operation, the gallery will operate on the basis of the regulated entries of individual tours of the building and exhibitions, to which visitors will be able to register, noted Klára Hudáková, spokesperson of the SNG.
For more information, visit the English website of the SNG.
