Slovak National Gallery Denies Reports of Planned Boxing Gala

Bratislava, 15 October (TASR) - The Slovak National Gallery (SNG) is reportedly set to host a commercial boxing gala called Gentlemen's Fight Night, according to the Open Culture platform. The gallery said the reports were false and underlined that it was fulfilling its founding mission. The event is reportedly scheduled for 12 December. Open Culture pointed out this comes at a time when the SNG is grappling with the consequences of extensive personnel changes introduced by Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova, nominated by the Slovak National Party (SNS). Following the dismissal of former SNG general director Alexandra Kusa [2010-24] and subsequent changes in senior management, as many as 110 employees left the gallery by August 2025, according to the Supreme Audit Office. Planned exhibitions have been cancelled, international partnerships disrupted and artists have called for their works to be withdrawn from exhibitions, added the platform. Open Culture underlined that the SNG used to be Slovakia's leading institution for collecting, research and education in the visual arts. The gallery said it was required to publish contracts concluded with all entities in the Central Register of Contracts. As no contract has been signed with the event organiser and the gallery has not confirmed that the event will take place, reports of the boxing gala being held at the SNG are false, SNG marketing department said. The gallery added that it remains focused on its founding purpose: making art accessible to the public. Two weeks ago, it opened an exhibition by renowned artist Tomas Rajlich, while it was also presenting works by prominent visual artist Adam Szentpetery and preparing a major retrospective of Rudolf Fila, due to open in a week, it said. The reported gala has also drawn criticism from opposition politicians. SaS representatives Martina Bajo Holeckova and Rene Parak claimed that the original mission of one of Slovakia's most important cultural institutions has gradually eroded under appointees of Simkovicova. SaS said that renting cultural institution premises for commercial events is not unusual in itself. The problem lies in what kind of event is being organised. "Simkovicova is planning a boxing match right inside the Slovak National Gallery. We thought our institutions could not sink any lower under their leadership. But thanks to the culture minister's appointees, the SNG's reputation has now suffered a real knockout," MP Zora Jaurova of Progressive Slovakia (PS) said. Former culture minister [2020-23] Natalia Milanova of the 'Slovakia' party claimed that the reported event reflected a failure to understand the mission of Slovakia's most important gallery institution. She called on Simkovicova to explain the situation, including who has approved the rental of the premises. "The SNG should be a temple of art, not an arena where people trade blows to the applause of the audience," she declared. Milanova said the issue was not about questioning boxing as a sport, but rather about what kinds of events were appropriate for the premises of a national cultural institution. In response, the Culture Ministry told TASR that the minister is not responsible for decisions on renting out space at the gallery. It rejected what it described as politically motivated interpretations and allegations through which the opposition is "trying to create the impression that the culture minister has committed wrongdoing". The ministry emphasised that the management of the SNG, including decisions on its day-to-day operations and rental arrangements, fall within the remit of its general director Juraj Kralik. "We consider it essential that public debate should be based on verified facts, relevant responsibilities and substantive arguments, rather than unfounded accusations or misleading interpretations. Repeatedly linking the culture minister to decisions that fall within the remit of the SNG's management is not, in our view, a constructive approach to public debate," the ministry said. The ministry called on political representatives to comment responsibly on cultural affairs, respect the division of responsibilities and refrain from personal attacks or fuelling hostility towards public institution officials. The SNG said it would welcome it if politicians took the time to verify basic facts before making their public statements. mf