(source: Ben Markel)
The Czech and Slovak pavilion in Venice used during the city's Biennale arts festivals has been closed for repair work expected to take up to three years.
The pavilion, completed and ceremonially opened for the XV Venice Biennale in 1926, has not undergone any major reconstruction work in the almost 100 years since it was opened and is in need of renovation to allow its continued operation.
The pavilion, which is the work of modernist Otakar Novotný (1880 – 1959), is situated in a prestigious location on one of the two main axes of Giardini Park. It has a rectangular floor plan with a central exhibition hall and still bears the simple inscription 'Cecoslovacchia' from when it was opened.
A decision was taken to start the work after an accident left its skylights broken.
The Slovak National Gallery has said the reconstruction is unlikely to finish before 2025. The management of the Venice Biennale has decreed that no construction work can take place in the Giardini di Castello area during exhibitions, leaving only a few months of the year when renovations can be carried out.
