There is a clear place for our art fair

Art fairs are an extraordinarily important institution within the framework of the system in which art operates, and have a significant influence over the attention that art attracts in a given region. Alongside museums of art, not-for-profit exhibition institutions, commercial galleries, art colleges and art criticism, they now play an important part in shaping the framework in which art is created, perceived and evaluated. Until now, we have been lacking an art fair in the Czech Republic with both international ambitions and a strong organisational background. Brno has all the necessary conditions for this – a strong cultural infrastructure, an exhibition centre and experienced trade fair company, a tradition of collecting, and a cultural magnet in the form of Villa Tugendhat – all the preconditions for a fair of this kind to succeed. For institutions such as the Moravian Gallery in Brno, an art fair of high quality adds the finishing touch to the context for its existing and future visitors, reinforces the position of art culture within society, facilitates access to the information required for making decisions on possible purchases for its collection and, it goes without saying, increases awareness of art as an important part of life. My own interest in this new art fair beginning to operate on the very highest level is an entirely logical consequence of all these factors.

Marek Pokorný, The Moravian Gallery in Brno