Alicja Knast has been removed from her position as director of the Silesian Museum in Katowice. Polish media reports that the provincial board cited a mishandling of finances discovered during an audit as the reason for dismissal. Poland’s cultural minister Piotr Glinski stated that the irregularities are insufficient grounds for dismissal but left the final decision in the hands of the local government. Knast, who was recently awarded a medal to celebrate her contributions to the arts, intends to appeal her dismissal. Marcin Gwoździewicz, a cultural director on the provincial board, will take over as director of the museum.
The move is seen as controversial due to the recent goings on in Poland that have seen a series of divisive directorial and senior appointments in the country’s cultural institutions. In November last year we covered the appointment of Piotr Bernatowicz as director of the Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art in Warsaw conducted without an open competition, which is required by law.
06 February 2020
