The new interim National Museum Director Anton Bittner. (source: TASR)
Anton Bittner, an allegedly experienced crisis manager, was removed from his position as acting director of the National Gallery on September 30, just seven weeks after his appointment. He will temporarily lead the National Museum (SNM), succeeding Branislav Panis.
Panis’s dismissal, announced on the same day, had been speculated upon over the summer. Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová, a once-popular newsreader turned disinformation star, who was nominated for the role by the far-right Slovak National Party, justified her decision to dismiss Panis, citing multiple ‘well-known management failures’. Panis, who studied history and ancient languages, had led the National Museum since 2016. However, the minister did not elaborate on specific reasons.
The ministry also noted that they see no need to provide a detailed public account of the dismissals of directors across various cultural institutions, emphasising that such actions are standard political practice within all ministries. When dismissing the former heads of the national gallery and national museum in August, the ministry held press briefings and issued press statements outlining the reasons for their removal.
Instead, the minister told Slovakia on Tuesday that she had returned from a successful working trip to the United States, where she had numerous business meetings. On Telegram, she mentioned a few of them and promised to reveal more in the coming days, while also sharing several photos of the warm welcome she received from Slovak Americans — a sharp contrast to the protests against her policies and practices in Slovakia.
Šimkovičová did not impress during her work trip to Abu Dhabi, the UAE, earlier this year. Slovaks on the internet were amused by her English, while the opposition accused her of skipping most of the UNESCO conference programme, despite spending more time in Abu Dhabi than the event lasted. Furthermore, she faced a no-confidence vote in parliament during the conference.
The Slovak National Museum - Natural History Museum in Bratislava. (source: TASR - Jaroslav Novák)
As for the National Museum, which is the largest cultural institution in the country, the Culture Ministry stated that Bittner would oversee the museum until a selection process is established. The ministry highlighted his crisis management experience as essential for the role. “Bittner’s task as interim director will be to initiate organisational consolidation and address complex projects, particularly the ongoing reconstruction of Spiš Castle and Krásna Hôrka (The castle whose reconstruction, following a fire, has been ongoing for 12 years and remains unfinished to this day – Ed.),” the ministry told the daily Sme.
The ministry has effectively taken advantage of the amendment to the Museums and Galleries Act, pushed through by the government earlier this year. The law no longer states that directors of museums and galleries cannot be dismissed without cause, notes Denník N.
In July, the ministry published a brief press release on the results of an audit at the understaffed National Museum, revealing 17 deficiencies.
“None of them were serious. These were routine issues that tend to occur in large institutions,” Panis told Denník N in an interview.
Despite his removal from the position of director, Panis should continue to work at the National Museum.
His successor, Bittner, who assumed the gallery directorship on August 7 following the poorly justified removal of former head Alexandra Kusá, lacks any background in the arts. His appointment was promoted by the ministry. However, he served less than 60 days in the role.
Upon his appointment, Bittner swiftly revoked free entry to the gallery, a protest measure enacted by Kusá after her dismissal to demonstrate to the public that the gallery was not empty, as claimed by the culture minister. Bittner also removed statements of support for the fired National Theatre director Matej Drlička from the gallery’s website and social media. Bittner’s leadership repeatedly faced backlash, with former deputy director Alexandra Homoľová resigning shortly after his arrival. Bittner’s remarks comparing a current installation to period products raised eyebrows, as did his blame of the previous administration for leaks during a recent flood crisis, despite no artworks being damaged.
Reports on Monday, September 30, indicated that a new director for the gallery, Silvia van Espen, is expected to be appointed in October, though she has not publicly commented on the transition. Van Espen is associated with the private gallery ZAHORIAN & VAN ESPEN.
On Tuesday, sources within the gallery confirmed to Denník N that Miloš Timko has been appointed as the new interim director of the National Gallery.
Timko has a connection to Bittner, having previously commissioned an audit of the gallery from him. Currently residing within the gallery’s premises, Timko and Bittner have a shared history from their time at Gastrometal, a company now in liquidation.
