Often found at theaters and museums, Kwon Mee-yoo has covered a wide range of cultural fields from K-pop and dramas to theater and fine art for over a decade. Now as K-Culture Desk editor, she tries to connect Korean culture with global readers through fresh perspectives.
Czech museum director seeks cultural exchange
National Gallery in Prague aims to be window of European art
By Kwon Mee-yoo
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Vladimir Rosel, general director of the National Gallery in Prague, visited to attend a symposium hosted by Korea’s National Museum of Contemporary Art (NMOCA) and discuss cultural exchanges with the local art scene last month.
Rosel was inaugurated as general director in June 2011. He has an extraordinary career having worked as an investment banker based in London with Bankers Trust, Fieldstone Private Capital Group and Babcock & Brown.
He was then appointed as a fine arts lecturer for the National Gallery in the 1980s and maintained contact with the gallery as an active member of the Society of Friends of the National Gallery in Prague.
The National Gallery in Prague is the largest art museum in the Czech Republic with a collection of more than 400,000 pieces, attracting about 500,000 visitors a year. The director post was previously held by art historians and critics and Rosel brought a wind of change to the museum despite the objections he faced.
“The public was requesting change in how the National Gallery was managed and perceived. Basically, that’s how I got in because I was the only candidate with managerial experience,” Rosel said.
The Czech Republic is one of the most popular destinations for Korean tourists and Rosel is eager to attract them to the nation’s largest art institution.
“The National Gallery should serve as a window of European art to Korean tourists,” the general director said. “The National Gallery has a lot to offer — we have the whole range from ancient works of art to very contemporary pieces. So we believe that the National Gallery to be a good source of information for Korean art connoisseurs to become acquainted with not only Czech but also European art.”
He also aims to change the budget structure during his term, currently almost fully dependent on the state.
The symposium in Korea was themed “The Role of the 21st Century Museum” and Rosel said positioning and branding are important for museums, after running an art museum for more than a year.
Rosel said that in the 21st century, art museums must compete with other leisure activities. “The National Gallery is branding our collection in the international art scene to make visitors better understand the artworks in context.”
The general director added that some people see fine art online and think they have really seen it.
“We live in a world of real and virtual art. A number of people are happy to experience fine art only through the screen of their computers that gives you an idea, but not the feel, the feel you get once you stand face to face with the piece of art,” Rosel said. “Now the question is what a museum should represent. I believe that it represents the authenticity of an impression you get from fine art. You can’t comprehend fine art without that impression.”
There has been a connection between the National Gallery in Prague and NMOCA for several years and Rosel wishes to introduce modern Czech art, including works of Frantisek Kupka, to Korea.
According to Rosel, the history of the Czech Republic and Slovakia is somewhat similar to what happened to Korea in the early 20th century.
“It will be very interesting for Korean art connoisseurs to see what Czech art is all about,” he said. “We want to give Korean art lovers a comprehensive understanding of European modern art and the position Czech artists took in art history.”