Czech Culture Minister Oto Klempíř has fired Alicja Knast as director of the National Gallery in Prague, sparking scrutiny of the reasons that prompted the decision.
Within the Czech Republic, some viewed the dismissal as a politically motivated gesture. Nast took office in 2021, appointed by Social Democrat Lubomir Zaoralek, who was Minister of Culture at the time. Klumpige, a member of the right-wing Automobile Party, became culture minister last year.
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Before becoming culture minister, Krumpiř was the lead singer of funk rock band JAR, and many artists in the Czech Republic have expressed concerns about his ability to allocate funds appropriately. “The Minister of Culture should safeguard the independence and diversity of artistic creation, not undermine it,” artists such as Eva Koťátková, who represented the country at the 2024 Venice Biennale, wrote in an open letter published in 2025.
Crompige did not provide a formal explanation for Nast’s firing. A press release from the Czech Ministry of Culture said the dismissals were to help the National Gallery “strengthen its position in Europe.”
The museum houses a renowned collection of art, including modernist paintings by František Kupka, Alphonse Mucha and other famous Czech and Slovak artists of the 20th century. The collection also includes works by Gustav Klimt, Peter Paul Rubens, Vincent van Gogh, Lucas Cranach the Elder and Rembrandt van Rijn.
Olga Kotková, currently head of the museum’s collection of Old Master art, will now serve as interim director. In a statement, Krumpige praised her for having “an excellent understanding of the National Gallery’s environment while having a clear professional vision for its further development.”
Knast, who was born in Poland, appeared to suggest to Czech media that she did not see the sacking coming. “I’m a little surprised by the decision,” she told CTTV.
Some have raised questions about how the firing was carried out. “What surprises me is not the dismissal of the director-general but the conduct of it,” former Czech culture minister Martin Baxa told Czech Radio’s Rádiožurnál. “Normally such an important step is announced by the culture minister, preferably at a press conference together with the director, where both parties explain their positions and conclusions. But nothing like this happened.”
