After 21 years, the Slovak National Gallery (part-)opens a new gallery complex

Reconstruction of the Slovak National Gallery has reached its conclusion. The gallery will (part-)open its renovated premises to the public for the first time on Sunday 11 December 2022. Visitors on this day will enjoy a full-day programme for adults and children, two introductory exhibitions, a special project of works in architecture, and the opportunity to breathe in the unique novelty for which everyone has waited so long.

The need for reconstruction of the Slovak National Gallery was born 21 years ago when, for emergency reasons, the then director Katarína Bajcurová had to close the iconic Bridge by Vladimír Dedeček. This was followed by gradual closure of other areas due to their unsatisfactory condition. The winning design for the reconstruction, extension, and modernisation of the SNG premises by architects Martin Kusý and Pavol Paňák from the BKPŠ studio was implemented from 2016 until 26 October 2022, when the contractor successfully handed the renovated premises over to SNG.

"Reconstruction of the national gallery has been with us for so long that I find it strange and unexpectedly difficult to grasp the end of it. Risking big words, I really think this is a historic moment, not only for the gallery, but for our country. It is the biggest cultural construction we have started and completed since the revolution. It is our showpiece, thanks to the hard work of many, including people from the cultural community and the resort, colleagues from the SNG, architects and designers, contractors, the builders themselves, and many others," says Alexandra Kusá, General Director of the SNG.

"The first thing that comes to my mind when we open the SNG is the word: ‘Finally’. Honestly, this is a unique venture that brings with it huge benefits, not only for the art community, but for all visitors and supporters of the visual arts. Although I would like to take credit – as the actual opening is happening during my leadership of the department, for which I thank the great team at the Ministry of Culture and the support of the Ministry of Finance – greatest thanks and appreciation for completion of the reconstruction belongs to the General Director of the gallery Alexandra Kusá and her employees. Thanks to their meticulous work and love of art history, we are reacquiring the monumental representative spaces that our art deserves," says Natália Milanová, Minister of Culture of the Slovak Republic.

Completion of this challenging project is a milestone for Slovak culture, the art scene, and also for the capital itself, which will receive a completely new public leisure space on the banks of the Danube River. "We spent 17 years with our colleagues preparing and implementing the project for reconstruction of the national gallery premises. It was a long process with all the complications of the architectural profession. Our aim was to create an authentic work that combines the last four centuries of architecture, spaces for modern operation of the institution, and presentation of our artistic culture. History will tell whether and how we succeeded," summarise architects Martin Kusý and Pavol Paňák.

The SNG has decided not to wait for a fully equipped interior and permanent exhibitions, and will be opening the new building in stages. "Most of the SNG's grounds have been closed for 21 years, and now that we finally have our hands on the finished building, we want to share it before Christmas with the public to whom the gallery rightfully belongs," explains Kusá. That is why the SNG will (part-)open its premises at the (old) new address of Rázusovo nábrežie 2 on Sunday 11 December with a rich all-day programme and its first exhibitions.

Visitors will be able to enjoy the new SNG until 21 December. In the new year, due to the size of the gallery and the need to ensure smooth operation, the gallery will operate on the basis of regulated admissions – individual tours of the building and exhibitions, for which people will be able to register. The Esterházy Palace, which was the only exhibition venue of the SNG Bratislava during the reconstruction, will be closed to the public on December 5 and will be reopened together with the new premises after the new year.

"But we will do everything we can to be able to operate normally during full opening hours as soon as possible. We will communicate all the latest information in a timely manner," concludes Kusá. Over the course of 2023, the gallery will gradually open permanent exhibitions, a cinema, a modern library, a café, and a gallery bookshop.

The opening exhibition, Prologue. 12 Colours of Reality, will guide visitors through the new SNG premises, where they will have the opportunity to view works of old masters, modern art, and contemporary art in various, often surprising, interplays of relationships and dialogues. In an unconventional combination of works from different periods, visitors will gain insight into the diversity of the SNG collections and discover the works of art that have been acquired during the last 30 years. Staging of the first exhibition in "the new" was supported by the SNG's long-standing general partner Tatra banka. While exploring the building, visitors will be accompanied by an unconventional project entitled Art in the Public Space, through which they will encounter sculptures and works of applied art in the various nooks and crannies of the gallery, demonstrating to them that art and architecture are compatible.

Another novelty that the gallery’s visitors can look forward to is the interactive exhibition Take p(art)! which uses selected works to answer the most common art-related questions. At the exhibition, supported by partner Kia Sales Slovakia, it will be possible to enter some of the works, leave your mark on them, and use them to create your own sound and visual projection, thereby establishing an enjoyable connection with art.