Juraj Králik explains to HN the management, current controversies, the relationship with artists who formed the Free National Gallery, as well as past staff departures.
Juraj Králik became the new Director General of the Slovak National Gallery after a series of turbulent events. He assumed the role following two rounds of a selection process, which were accompanied by questions regarding transparency and conflict of interest.
In the first weeks, he announced significant changes, including the arrival of a new Artistic Director, Martin Dostál, and emphasised that he wants to stabilise the gallery and strengthen its standing both domestically and internationally. At the same time, he faces criticism—from the art community as well as from the Prague gallery, which questions the planned Bruce Weber exhibition.
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The gallery and the professional public currently have several disagreements. The first is the removal of Denisa Lehocká’s exhibition, which was meant to be a permanent part of the wall in the newly renovated building. This also happened while you were not present at the SNG. Why did this happen when the contract states that the work is to be “permanently installed unless otherwise agreed”?
The work remains permanently in the gallery; it is still one of 100,000 depository collection items that we hold. It is both our right and duty to rotate exhibited works. According to the contract that Denisa Lehocká signed with the gallery, we professionally deinstalled it. She was present, and the work was removed by the people who helped install it.
Yes, she eventually admitted that. But it does not change the fact that her work is no longer part of the wall where it originally belonged.
Her work had to make way for others, which we needed to hang on the wall for the new exhibition Bang! Bang?!. Jozef Jankovič’s reliefs, which visitors last saw at the SNG ten years ago, will now be displayed there. When I looked at the National Gallery’s projects, Denisa Lehocká’s work was never part of the architecture; it was added later. Nothing will happen to it; it is stored in the depository, and when the time comes that there is no other exhibition in this space, it can be returned.
So, after the current exhibition ends, will visitors be able to see this installation again?
Given how Denisa Lehocká behaved, when she called the police to the building without reason, it is unlikely. If I remain in charge along with curator Martin Dostál, probably not.
And what about the removal of Jozef Sušienka’s ceramic sculpture from Karol Vaculík Square?
His work did not belong to the Slovak National Gallery but was on loan from the town of Hlohovec for the occasion of his exhibition last year. Although that exhibition ended long ago, the work remained in place. The town of Hlohovec had no problem extending the contract with us, but according to the original agreement, its exhibition period ended at the end of 2024. After that, the sculpture was supposed to be dismantled.
In the meantime, several personnel changes occurred within the institution, and the work was not moved. I was not here at that time.
Then a group appeared that illegally claimed the name of the SNG. I do not know who these people are, as they have not introduced themselves so far.
Do you mean the artists who formed the Free National Gallery?
They do call themselves the Slovak Free National Gallery, but the only national gallery is the Slovak National Gallery. I do not see the Free National Gallery in any legally established system or in any entry in the commercial register.
Are they the reason you removed Sušienka’s sculpture?
This group started putting various posters on Jozef Sušienka’s sculpture. We decided to remove it.
Was it a protest?
The posters visually obstructed the sculpture. On the other hand, the work was made of ceramic, which is a very delicate material. Moreover, the reconstruction of the garages at Karol Vaculík Square is set to begin at the start of September, so the work could not remain there during the construction. There is no controversy behind this. The sculpture was returned to its original owner – the town of Hlohovec.
In a fairly short time, and without sufficient prior notice, the permanent exhibition by curator Lucia Gregorová Stach, titled Model: Museum of Contemporary Art, was also cancelled.
No, it was not cancelled overnight. The exhibition was cancelled based on a decision we made together with our curators after several discussions.
Why?
It was an exhibition curated by a former employee who no longer works here. She is also one of the employees who is suing the gallery over what she considers an unjustified dismissal. We decided this way. However, all of this happened before I took up my position as director.
Are you in contact?
No, she does not communicate with me or with the institution.
Did you personally take any action towards her?
No. We held a meeting with our curators, where the artistic director and I tried to find out if any of the current staff would be willing to rotate the exhibits within this exhibition. According to regulations and laws, paper exhibits and photographs must be regularly rotated in the collections.
We also learned that some of the installed photographs are not originals but copies, which is quite unusual. The National Gallery has nothing to exhibit in terms of copies.
So, you didn’t find anyone to take care of her exhibition?
The exhibition contained drawings, graphics, prints, and many paper items that needed to be rotated. None of the current curators wanted to intervene. The maximum display period for paper exhibits is three to six months. For example, Adriana Šimotová’s work was displayed for one and a half years, which should not have happened.
Therefore, after my arrival, we cancelled the exhibition. There was also another reason: a new exhibition will take its place.
Even though it was supposed to be a permanent exhibition?
The exhibition was not meant to last forever. None of the exhibitions in the National Gallery are permanent. The space is flexible, and we will rotate it according to the needs that arise with new exhibitions.
And how should the term “permanent exhibition” be understood, then?
A permanent exhibition means that a gallery or museum has a certain part of its collection displayed long-term and regularly, but it does not have to be forever. The institution and its curators can, after several years, rotate, relocate, or modify it. We have moved a large part of the exhibits from Lucia Gregorová Stach’s exhibition to the Bang! Bang?!exhibition, which we will open soon. This will also be an exhibition of contemporary art.
So, you didn’t cancel it because the Minister of Culture and the Prime Minister disliked it?
That is absolute nonsense. I have never met the Prime Minister. I met the Minister of Culture for the first time only after taking up the position. So whatever they objected to in the previous exhibition did not concern me. I took up my role as Director of the SNG in mid-April, and I have to ensure that exhibitions comply with the law.
Weren’t the previous ones?
I’m not saying that. But we will decide on the nature of the exhibitions from now on.
What is your relationship with the Ministry of Culture?
I am the Director, and the institution is overseen by the Ministry of Culture. I strive to maintain an absolutely correct relationship with them. I want to emphasise that after taking up the position, I requested, in a certain way, that the Ministry agree not to interfere in either the concept or the management of the gallery, as long as I do not make any serious mistakes.
And does that still hold?
Yes. We strive to manage the artistic programme and, of course, the financial matters completely independently. Of course, we are a subsidised organisation under the Ministry of Culture. We receive 90 percent of our funding from them, and our revenues are governed by what the Ministry of Finance and the government approve for our activities.
Several artists have opposed the functioning of your institution on behalf of the Free National Gallery. You cannot operate indefinitely on such a battlefield. Their works are in the SNG collections, and they can object to the display of their creations at any time. Are you trying to reach a reconciliation?
The Free National Gallery was established before I joined the SNG. It is a group of people who personally offend me. I know their protest was linked to the fact that I came in as, so to speak, a nominee of the Ministry of Culture. However, imagine a situation where Ms Vidovencová had won the competition; she would also have been a nominee of the Ministry of Culture, because the minister would have had to appoint her.
If I go back a little in history, I would put it like this: Alexandru Kusú was appointed as Director General by Marek Maďarič, the ideologist of the Smer party. So was she a nominee of Smer?
I entered the competition as an independent. I did not come on the very first day when the current government took office. I have nothing to do with this government or its administration.
Why did you decide to run for the position of Director of the SNG?
I saw that the gallery was declining, and I knew that the people who had taken over after the previous management were not entirely competent. I do not want to offend anyone, but none of them had an artistic or art-historical education. These people came here as economists or managers who were not fully connected to the institution.
You also don’t have experience leading such a large institution.
I have been working with this institution for 35 years. In 1992, I prepared my first catalogue for the Expo Sevilla exhibition, collaborating with Paľo Meluš and Vlado Rostok.
In the meantime, we have produced a substantial number of catalogues and brochures for various SNG exhibitions. In the 1990s, my mother also worked here, and my father has numerous works in the collections, so he has a special connection to the gallery.
Whether people like it or not, I did not enter this position with the aim of firing anyone or conflicting with anyone. Rather, I felt that if someone came from an environment they understood and belonged to, acceptance would be more forthcoming.
However, a director must also be a manager. Leading an institution and having a close personal connection to it as an artist are different things.
No one who starts leading the gallery has ever managed it before. Naturally, I have no prior experience managing such a large institution, but I have run my own company for many years, so I do have managerial experience. Finding someone who has led a similarly large cultural institution, is a top-notch manager, has an artistic or art-theoretical education, and is willing to take on the leadership of the SNG would be almost impossible. I felt that I could dare to take on this position.
Has the reality met your expectations after the competition?
Vision is one thing, reality is another. Personally, I believe that the concept Martin Dostál and I prepared is slowly being realised. However, we probably also did some calculating.
In what sense? What is this concept?
I am rather a conservative person, so my vision is more conservative, whereas Martin Dostál is more liberal. This is noticeable in certain aspects—for example, in how he installs exhibitions. He has uninstalled hundreds of exhibitions, so he perceives it somewhat differently than I do, but I give him free rein and trust him. Our agreement was to respect each other.
I would also like to bring out items from the depositories that, for some reason, were never exhibited. Every director has the right to their own concept, so I would like to show people more, for example, Baroque art—we do not have the 19th century represented here.
And do you have the space for that?
I will endeavour to make the Esterházy Palace accessible as soon as possible. We would really like to transform it into a palace of Old Masters.
The space currently available, which the Minister of Culture has assigned to the SNG, is the Kunsthalle. What will its future be?
Together with Martin Dostál, we will find a suitable person to manage the Kunsthalle.
In what timeframe?
As I say, it is a question of funding, and it is a demanding project.
The Kunsthalle is closed and does not generate any income.
We do organize some short-term exhibitions, especially if requested by embassies. Moreover, the Kunsthalle has never generated any income in the past.
How is SNG financially? At the beginning of the year, the major general partner, Tatra Bank, left.
Tatra Bank was a significant partner, but considering the gallery's budget of 16.4 million euros last year, its financial contribution was rather marginal. Of course, it is pleasant when someone contributes, for example, towards new acquisitions.
Currently, banks and financial institutions are under the pressure of consolidation measures by the Ministry of Finance, and therefore are not willing to sponsor activities associated with the state. We have already negotiated with some, but so far we have not found those who would prefer to invest in culture rather than sport. With smaller sponsors, however, we have contracts pending signature, the specific names of which are not yet disclosed.
In 2023, the budget was over 10 million euros, with revenues reaching almost 1.2 million. This was at the time the renovated building opened. Compared to previous years, the budget then doubled, as did the revenues. Last year, the budget was 16.4 million. How much have you received for 2025?
This year we have 10.5 million, representing a 36 percent decrease. For next year, we have been promised an eight percent increase.
The gallery, however, is visibly emptier. Revenue also comes from ticket sales. How do you explain this?
Of course it is emptier, because it was claimed that there is nothing here. People who come to the gallery are surprised that all the exhibition rooms are full.
Regarding attendance, we also oversee four other satellite sites – Schaubmar Mill, Zvolen Castle, the manor in Strážky, and the long-term closed Ľudovít Fulla Gallery in Ružomberok. At Zvolen Castle, an archaeological survey is ongoing, so the exhibition spaces are only partially accessible to the public. This also contributes to the decrease in visitor numbers.
I understand. I am rather referring to the empty corridors in the main SNG building.
Attendance at the main building decreased after its reopening in December 2022, when people were curious and wanted to see the building. At that time, there were no exhibitions yet, and visitor numbers reached a record. By 2024, year-on-year attendance had already declined. Our task now, and therefore our priority, is to attract people back to the gallery, and that is what we will try to do despite the reduced budget, by organising exhibitions that are engaging.
How are you doing in terms of staffing? Several dozen employees left at the beginning of the year, others after your arrival. What are the current numbers? Are you conducting interviews for specific positions?
No one is missing. I must honestly say – there was massive overstaffing. At one point, almost 300 people were working within SNG. Half of the funds allocated for running the gallery were consumed by employee salaries. To clarify, after my arrival, only a few people left due to natural turnover, and a few new ones joined.
What if another wave of departures occurs?
Nothing happens. I still believe there are more people here than we actually need. We are prepared for the possibility that some may leave.
Is such overstaffing only in Slovakia?
For comparison, we can look at the National Gallery in Prague. The differences are very pronounced. In the same period, when we had an average of 172 employees, Prague had as many as 217. Despite this, their wage costs were lower – €4.6 million compared to our €5.4 million. This is a significant imbalance, and it should also be noted that the Prague gallery manages more sites than the Slovak one. At the end of 2024, we even recorded 261 permanent employees, to which dozens of seasonal contract workers should be added.
You mentioned that another in-depth audit by the Supreme Audit Office is currently underway at the Slovak National Gallery. Do we already know the findings?
It has been ongoing for two or three months. The report has not yet been evaluated, and I cannot comment on the investigation at this time.
When will the official report be released?
I expect that we could publish it in November. However, they have focused in depth on some matters I was not aware of. In this role, I will strive to ensure that nothing like that is found after me.
Who is Juraj Králik?
He is a trained photographer who studied in Bratislava and later in Prague. In 1990, he co-founded the agency Oko, and three years later the graphic studio Rabbit & Solution. He entered the art scene with works made from military badges and, from 2000, collaborated with tennis player Martina Navrátilová on the Art Grand Slam project. In 2010, he presented the series Many & Love, where he used obsolete halier coins donated by the Governor of the National Bank of Slovakia to create large-scale paintings, depicting figures such as Barack Obama and Osama bin Laden. He also created a three-dimensional artwork from 9,840 coins, which he gifted to President Peter Pellegrini and which was subsequently presented to Pope Francis – one side shows the Pope and the other the Sorrowful Virgin Mary. He is the father of presenter Krištof Králik and was appointed Director of the Slovak National Gallery on 15 April 2025.
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