KDH Wants to Convene Special House Session Over Transport of Gonzaga Bust

Bratislava, June 2 (TASR) - The Christian Democratic Movement (KDH), in agreement with other opposition parties, will initiate a special emergency session of the House Committee for Culture and Media over the transport of the bust of Cecilia Gonzaga, TASR learnt on Monday. The party announced that the session will address issues related to the transfer itself and its circumstances, as well as future plans for handling the valuable artwork. „According to experts KDH is in contact with, this is a scandal that may involve multiple violations of laws governing how rare artifacts are to be handled," said KDH chair Milan Majersky regarding the transfer of the bust, which is believed to be the work of Italian Renaissance artist Donatello. „At the same time, no one knows what will happen to Donatello's bust now," he added. The KDH leader is also convinced that the transfer of the rare bust represents yet another failure by the current leadership of the Culture Ministry, headed by Martina Simkovicova (nominated by SNS), and another reason for her resignation. „If she does not step down voluntarily, then let parliament decide her fate. A proposal for her dismissal has been in Parliament for several months — Parliament must finally address it at the June session," Majersky emphasized. The bust of Cecilia Gonzaga was transported from the Slovak National Museum (SNM) – Spis Museum in Levoca on Thursday (May 29). The Ministry of Culture stated that this was a planned action coordinated by the ministry, SNM, and the police, intended to relocate the bust to a highly secured location where the artifact would receive adequate protection. The ministry explained that the Spis Museum currently does not meet the conditions for such protection. It also announced that an international expert evaluation would be conducted to confirm the authorship of the work and declared that if authorship is confirmed, the piece would be "made accessible to the public in an appropriate and dignified manner." The opposition sharply criticized the circumstances of the transfer, accusing the ministry of failing to follow proper procedures when transporting such a valuable item. The artifact, managed by the SNM – Spis Museum in Levoca, is state property. The city of Levoca hopes the piece will return to northern Slovakia and be displayed again in the Spis Museum. mf