Publication details
POLITICKÉ ZÁSAHY DO FUNGOVÁNÍ GALERIÍ A MUZEÍ UMĚNÍ NA PROGRAM A PRÁCI S PUBLIKEM V GALERIÍCH A MUZEÍCH UMĚNÍ VE STŘEDNÍ EVROPĚ
| Title in English | POLITICAL INTERFERENCE IN THE OPERATION OF ART GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS: PROGRAMMING AND AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT IN ART GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS IN CENTRAL EUROPE |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2026 |
| Type | Peer-reviewed scientific article |
| Magazine / Source | SEŠIT PRO UMĚNÍ, TEORII A PŘÍBUZNÉ ZÓNY |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | web Journalu |
| Keywords | politisation of culture; cultural institutions; middle Europe |
| Description | The study examines the political influence on galleries and museums in Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia between 2010 and 2025. It focuses on how state power has instrumentalized cultural institutions for ideological purposes. The municipal elections held in the Czech Republic in autumn 2025 represent a turning point with potential impacts on cultural policy and institutional autonomy. Vigilance is needed regarding developments in neighboring countries, where cultural institutions have served as tools of ideological control. In Poland, the Law and Justice government applied censorship and personnel pressure, while independent institutions supported international collaboration. Hungary experienced centralized cultural governance, selective funding, and marginalization of critical voices, alongside investment in symbolic architecture. Slovakia faces chronic underfunding and, since 2023, political interference in institutional leadership, triggering public protests. Through case studies of Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź, Ludwig Museum in Budapest, and the Slovak National Gallery, the analysis shows how cultural instrumentalization affects infrastructure, professional autonomy, and the democratic character of public space. The theoretical framework draws on Yúdice, Gramsci, and Gielen & Dockx, enabling a critical understanding of current transformations in the Central European cultural field. |