The largest private collection of František Kupka in the world hangs in the Owl Mills building on the banks of the Vltava, where the Meda Mládková Museum is located. “I was very scared. At one point, he threatened to grab the entire object. I was not only afraid of the museum, but also of Mrs. Meda Mládková, who lives in the museum. She is almost 101 years old and her age is known. I gave her the information and I’m glad she’s safe, “says Pospíšil.
–
The fact that the museum did not burn down, but according to Pospíšil does not mean that it has won: “When we began to inhale and rejoice that the corona did not kill us, such a huge blow came. If this were to lead to the museum being closed for half a year, for example, the collections have survived, but the economic death of the museum is coming. ”Eight to ten million crowns were lost during the coronavirus closure.
–
We have no reserve
It is not only the entrance, closed shops with souvenirs, but also Werich’s villa and the hotel Meda, which helps to finance the museum. State aid has not yet arrived. The key will be how long it will take to resume normal operation, especially the newly opened joint exhibition of works by Alfons Mucha and the contemporary Czech author Pasta Oner.
–
If this fails, one of the options is to close the museum, Pospíšil admitted: “We do not have a reserve, the museum is private, but not commercial, it does not generate profit. What we earn on admission, we invest in the purchase of new works of art, publishing books, organizing exhibitions. In the end, we are always at zero. “
–
Let the municipality take responsibility
The cause of the fire, which engulfed the technical background of the museum yesterday afternoon, is being investigated by the police. “We want the municipality to take on moral responsibility. The building was set on fire by a man who was welding some wires outside the city, it was not set on fire by an employee of the Kampa Museum. I am pushing officials to come up with a temporary operation, “says Jiří Pospíšil.
–
The flames did not reach the paintings, but the damage can also be caused by smoke and fumes. Kupka’s works, as well as a collection of works by Czech emigrants and constructivists, as well as paintings by Alfons Mucha, which the museum borrowed from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, have therefore been searched by restorers since the morning. It will be clear by tomorrow what the damage is and whether the paintings need to be cleaned.
–
“The collection is of immense value, we can guess whether it is three, four or five billion, but it is not about that. Works of art that cannot be replaced would be destroyed. Studies would be destroyed, without which it will not be possible to analyze Kupka’s work, “a close friend of Meda Mládková calculates possible damages.
—
