The acting director of the Slovak National Gallery, Jaroslav Niňaj, during a press briefing on November 26, 2024, in Bratislava. (source: TASR-Pavel Neubauer)
The National Gallery (SNG) has a new acting director: Jaroslav Niňaj. The news was first reported by the news website Aktuality.sk.
Niňaj is the third temporary director in less than four months, following the dismissal of Alexandra Kusá in August by Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová, who is a nominee of the far-right Slovak National Party. The decision sparked criticism from the cultural community and protests against Šimkovičová.
Niňaj’s predecessor, Miloš Timko, who remains at the gallery to work on an audit, lasted just 55 days in the role. Anton Bittner, now temporary head of the National Museum, served as gallery director for only 54 days.
“I believe that Jaroslav Niňaj, with his experience and professional approach, will bring a fresh perspective to the gallery’s leadership, while creating space to strengthen stability and constructive collaboration,” said Šimkovičová in a statement to TASR.
Niňaj has no experience in visual arts or managing cultural institutions. According to Aktuality.sk, he has worked in film production companies and has written books on mythological figures such as Ouranos and Sisyphus. Niňaj joined the gallery more than a week ago and quickly rose to the position of deputy director on November 21. This move has sparked criticism among gallery staff, with reports suggesting that two-thirds of employees are planning to submit collective resignations in January 2025.
Open letter
On his first day as temporary director, Niňaj alarmed rather than impressed staff.
“The first meeting was full of intimidation, threats, and investigations,” said five senior employees of the gallery in an open letter. “He used words like ‘feel free to resign’, ‘a henhouse’, and ‘I will keep an eye on you’.”
The five department heads – Mária Bohumelová (Collections and Funds Management), Bohdana Hromádková (Marketing and Communications), Gabriela Hamalová (Financial Operations and Infrastructure), Monika Kazimírová (Building Management), and Ľubica Orechovská (Exhibitions and Production) – also wrote that they saw no point in explaining the basic operations of a state institution and the need to comply with laws to yet another acting director.
“We truly care about the gallery; many of us have helped build it over the years,” the directors wrote, adding, “As senior employees, we can no longer bear the responsibility for the operation of this iconic institution under these conditions, and we are forced to submit our resignations next week.”
Since September, 18 employees have already left the gallery, and nearly 180 others are considering resigning in January.
How long Niňaj will remain as director is uncertain. He is expected to stay until February, when the Culture Ministry is legally required to announce a recruitment process for the permanent director of the National Gallery, according to the daily Sme.
“Political gathering”
On Tuesday, Niňaj also met with journalists. Regarding the press conference held by gallery employees last week, during which they read out demands to the minister and issued an ultimatum, Niňaj described it as a “political gathering” that could lead to incidents similar to the attempted assassination of Prime Minister Robert Fico. His comments echoed those often made by government officials.
Niňaj also believes the gallery has too many curators and one of them, former director Alexandra Kusá, is allegedly among those who will have to leave. Kusá has worked at the gallery for almost 25 years.
Niňaj said he also plans to provide opportunities for artists who have not previously exhibited at the gallery.
“We’ll make room for more, not just for those currently displayed or preferred by the previous management,” he told the media, though he did not name specific artists.
