The Czech Visual Art Fund’s legacy is only destruction and decay!

During the past twenty years, the Mánes’ building administered by the Czech Visual Art Fund (former Visual Art Fund) has become the symbol of the negative consequences of privatization of culture. Lawsuits regarding its ownership in the 1990s resulted in victory of purposeful interpretation of law over justice. Commercialization of the gallery program by the Fund made manifest the absence of cultural goals or care for the quality of the program. This could happen only because of the complete repression of the ideals of community life. Acting of the Fund is like acting of a realist agent who runs a business with property exclusively for profit. The circumstances of the building reconstruction made it clear again that the Visual Artists Fund seeks private capital, which led to the attempts of its control by Martin Roman, the former boss of Czech state-controlled electricity giant.

However, the Association of Visual Artists Mánes that built the Mánes’ building in 1930 was founded to meet the needs of visual artists to organize the own professional life and to mediate the actual and current art to the society:

“Fostering mutuality among members as well as serious, fruitful, artistic and literary direction; approximating and unifying all Slavonic elements of visual artists in Prague, supporting pauper members as much as possible, organizing discussions related to various areas of visual and literary art, organizing association exhibitions, keeping cooperative relations with similar artistic unions and, last but not least, organizing events and issuing an art magazine of the association.” (The first Statutes of the Association of Visual Artists Mánes, adopted on 27 April 1887)

From the last quarter of the 19th century till 1956, the Association of Visual Artists Mánes played a crucial role in the cultural life of the Czech society. The creative potential of its members who, beside their exhibition activities, published the art magazine Volné směry (Free Directions) left significant marks in the history of our country.

The Czech Visual Art Fund’s legacy is only destruction and decay!

For this reason, we decided to occupy the former residence and exhibition space of the Association of Visual Artists Mánes. We would like to point out its troubling present that is the consequence of corruption and predatory economization as well as the haunting absence of the spirit of artists’ collective self-organization.

In the present situation, the Mánes’ Building does not deserve to bear the name of Mánes. All ideals represented by the name of the founder Josef Mánes have been forgotten. However, we do not wish to rename the building. The only solution is a radical re-organization of the Fund and restoration of the idea of the artist union. We request that all positions in the Administrative Board be handed over to persons elected in a democratic way by all participants of the event entitled Mánes to Artists, which will transform the Fund to an organization with open membership.

During the 2-day symbolic occupation, we will change the premises of the building into a forum where historical as well as future perspectives of the artist union activity in our country will be discussed. For at least two days, we will return the building its original function. By your participation in the event you will express your support to our demands and you will be able to participate in the election of the new members of the Administrative Board who will become the guarantee of its better future.

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