Latest news with #MartinaSimkovicova
France 24
04-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Fired in bathrobe: Slovak cultural heads recall their dismissals
The government says it wants to promote "Slovak culture", accusing those dismissed of "wasting public funds" and other violations, but the moves have drawn thousands into the streets in Bratislava to protest the sector's "destruction". Here, three dismissed directors told AFP they were fired suddenly without explanation and rejected the government's blanket accusations of improper management against the sector. 'Undignified' "The doorbell rang at 9.30 in the morning. Two big guys were standing in the corridor, and between them, a slim lady I knew from HR," Matej Drlicka recalled the day in August 2024 when he found out he lost his job as the director of the Slovak National Theatre. On sick leave and in his bathrobe when the trio turned up, Drlicka said his dismissal was "undignified", with it becoming a symbol of the government's rash measures. The 48-year-old former clarinettist turned cultural manager did two stints as Slovak National Theatre head, stabilising its finances and building up its reputation at home and abroad. Since his dismissal, Drlicka, who is also known for founding Slovakia's largest classical music festival, has become one of the leading critics of the culture ministry. He has slammed Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova as "everyone's laughing stock" and accused her of incompetence. "What happened in Hungary was done by Simkovicova in one year," said Drlicka, referring to Prime Minister Viktor Orban's restriction of the cultural sector since his return to power in 2010. 'Highway to hell' After Drlicka's firing made waves, the ministry was more cautious when it dismissed Branislav Panis in September 2024. An expert in history and numismatics, Panis had been with the Slovak National Museum -- which encompasses 18 museums -- for more than 25 years, serving as its director from 2016 to 2024. "Its representatives came very politely to my office, handed me the decree, and we shook hands. Everything happened very quickly and with the utmost respect," the 50-year-old recalled. Accusing the government of creating a "highway to hell", he fears the museum will decline slowly and become internationally isolated. Last year, it lost three million euros ($3.5 million) in state funding and a tenth of its employees. While some quit, others did not get their contracts renewed. "I'm not saying culture is going to die but I'm afraid that we will return to the 90s," a period of decline under the then-communist leadership, he said. - 'Chaos' – Zuzana Liptakova's dismissal in March 2024 was the one to set off the "cascade" of firings, she said. Liptakova, 50, headed the International House of Art for Children, or Bibiana, from 2022, boosting its reputation in Slovakia and internationally. The ministry called her on a Friday evening. Unable to reach her, they summoned her on Monday through her secretary and dismissed her "with immediate effect" without providing an official reason, she said, recalling her surprise. "We didn't have time to prepare, and chaos reigned," she said. An economist with no artistic experience replaced her the very next day, leading to several employees to quit in protest. Some contracts were also not renewed, and many projects fell apart.
News.com.au
09-06-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Bust attributed to Donatello splits Slovakia
A bust attributed to Renaissance master Donatello re-emerges in Slovakia after falling into obscurity following World War II, but the country's nationalist government sparks anger by squirrelling it away in a ministry building. The sculpture of Italian noblewoman Cecilia Gonzaga spent centuries in a manor house in central Slovakia, whose owners, the noble Csaky family, left it behind when they fled the advancing World War II front in 1945. Moved about and ultimately forgotten in the aftermath, it was sitting in a depository at the Spis Museum in the eastern town of Levoca when art historian Marta Herucova stumbled across it. The bust had been marked "unknown author". But Herucova noticed the base was inscribed with the words: "Ceciliae Gonzagae opvs Donatelli" (Cecilia Gonzaga, a work by Donatello). If confirmed, it would be only the eighth artwork signed by the Italian Renaissance sculptor discovered worldwide. Herucova made the find in 2019, but it was only announced in February -- surprising the country. "Who would expect an original Donatello to appear in Slovakia?" former museum director Maria Novotna told AFP. But the bust is now a subject of controversy. Nationalist Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova decided to remove it from the museum and bring it to an unknown location in late May, citing security. The move dismayed critics and art historians, who say the bust needs expert conservation and research to confirm if it is really by Donatello (1386-1466). - War story - The bust has an epic backstory. After the Csaky family fled, Soviet troops looted their house, which then became a juvenile detention centre for girls after the communist government took over former Czechoslovakia in 1948. The girls played with the bust and even defined its eyes with blue pen, said Peter Cizmar, the son of a former guardian. In 1975, artwork still surviving at the centre was moved to the nearby Spis Museum. Attributed to an unknown 19th-century artist, the bust "was put in a depository and had not left it since", said former director Novotna, an art historian. Novotna was in charge of the museum catalogue as a young worker, and now bemoans a lack of time for research as she was swamped with work. - Dinner companion - In 2019, Herucova was working on the museum's 19th-century collection when she found the piece. "The bust just came up," she said. After noticing the inscription, she started in-depth research. She suspected forgery, but the material, details and inscription were all too telling, she said. "Even artists who made Renaissance-style busts never signed them in the name of the original author," Herucova told AFP. She wrote about the finding in the French art history magazine Revue de l'Art, waiting for someone to contest the bust's origin -- which has not happened. Herucova also contacted Count Moritz Csaky, who had no clear recollection of its origin either, as his family left for Vienna when he was 11. But he did recall seeing the bust placed on the porch, where the family dined in summer. "He said there used to be two original Gothic statues next to it, which are also in the museum today," Herucova said. - 'Safe and protected' - Herucova also contacted Italian art history professor Francesco Caglioti, who voiced doubt about the authorship but declined to elaborate. She is now pinning hopes on research in cooperation with foreign institutions. But for now, the bust is hidden away. Simkovicova, the culture minister who ordered it be moved with the help of a police commando, said it was "now safe and protected". Police chief Jana Maskarova later said the bust was at an interior ministry centre in Topolcianky, central Slovakia. Simkovicova promised to display the bust when "conditions are favourable". Herucova hopes the ministry will not try to revamp the bust, which should retain its patina, she said. "It's supposed to go to a professional place where they know how to do lab analyses." - Emancipated noblewoman - Research suggests the bust was made when Cecilia Gonzaga (1426-1451) became engaged to influential politician Oddantonio da Montefeltro. Her father made the match, seeking to bolster relations between the families, but the well-educated Cecilia chose a life in a convent over marriage. It is known that Cecilia's brother commissioned artworks from Donatello. The Gonzagas later fostered strong ties with the imperial court of Vienna and were united by marriage with the Csaky family. Some studies suggest the bust was made after Cecilia became a nun, possibly based on an earlier coin bearing her likeness. Novotna said she believed the bust was Donatello's work.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Bust attributed to Donatello splits Slovakia
A bust attributed to Renaissance master Donatello re-emerges in Slovakia after falling into obscurity following World War II, but the country's nationalist government sparks anger by squirrelling it away in a ministry building. The sculpture of Italian noblewoman Cecilia Gonzaga spent centuries in a manor house in central Slovakia, whose owners, the noble Csaky family, left it behind when they fled the advancing World War II front in 1945. Moved about and ultimately forgotten in the aftermath, it was sitting in a depository at the Spis Museum in the eastern town of Levoca when art historian Marta Herucova stumbled across it. The bust had been marked "unknown author". But Herucova noticed the base was inscribed with the words: "Ceciliae Gonzagae opvs Donatelli" (Cecilia Gonzaga, a work by Donatello). If confirmed, it would be only the eighth artwork signed by the Italian Renaissance sculptor discovered worldwide. Herucova made the find in 2019, but it was only announced in February -- surprising the country. "Who would expect an original Donatello to appear in Slovakia?" former museum director Maria Novotna told AFP. But the bust is now a subject of controversy. Nationalist Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova decided to remove it from the museum and bring it to an unknown location in late May, citing security. The move dismayed critics and art historians, who say the bust needs expert conservation and research to confirm if it is really by Donatello (1386-1466). - War story - The bust has an epic backstory. After the Csaky family fled, Soviet troops looted their house, which then became a juvenile detention centre for girls after the communist government took over former Czechoslovakia in 1948. The girls played with the bust and even defined its eyes with blue pen, said Peter Cizmar, the son of a former guardian. In 1975, artwork still surviving at the centre was moved to the nearby Spis Museum. Attributed to an unknown 19th-century artist, the bust "was put in a depository and had not left it since", said former director Novotna, an art historian. Novotna was in charge of the museum catalogue as a young worker, and now bemoans a lack of time for research as she was swamped with work. - Dinner companion - In 2019, Herucova was working on the museum's 19th-century collection when she found the piece. "The bust just came up," she said. After noticing the inscription, she started in-depth research. She suspected forgery, but the material, details and inscription were all too telling, she said. "Even artists who made Renaissance-style busts never signed them in the name of the original author," Herucova told AFP. She wrote about the finding in the French art history magazine Revue de l'Art, waiting for someone to contest the bust's origin -- which has not happened. Herucova also contacted Count Moritz Csaky, who had no clear recollection of its origin either, as his family left for Vienna when he was 11. But he did recall seeing the bust placed on the porch, where the family dined in summer. "He said there used to be two original Gothic statues next to it, which are also in the museum today," Herucova said. - 'Safe and protected' - Herucova also contacted Italian art history professor Francesco Caglioti, who voiced doubt about the authorship but declined to elaborate. She is now pinning hopes on research in cooperation with foreign institutions. But for now, the bust is hidden away. Simkovicova, the culture minister who ordered it be moved with the help of a police commando, said it was "now safe and protected". Police chief Jana Maskarova later said the bust was at an interior ministry centre in Topolcianky, central Slovakia. Simkovicova promised to display the bust when "conditions are favourable". Herucova hopes the ministry will not try to revamp the bust, which should retain its patina, she said. "It's supposed to go to a professional place where they know how to do lab analyses." - Emancipated noblewoman - Research suggests the bust was made when Cecilia Gonzaga (1426-1451) became engaged to influential politician Oddantonio da Montefeltro. Her father made the match, seeking to bolster relations between the families, but the well-educated Cecilia chose a life in a convent over marriage. It is known that Cecilia's brother commissioned artworks from Donatello. The Gonzagas later fostered strong ties with the imperial court of Vienna and were united by marriage with the Csaky family. Some studies suggest the bust was made after Cecilia became a nun, possibly based on an earlier coin bearing her likeness. Novotna said she believed the bust was Donatello's work. "But we need further research, and precisions and evaluations will definitely be made in the decades to come. You don't find works like this every day, do you?" pv-frj/jhb/bc
