President opens new gallery
Krakow officially has a new gallery – the 70 million zł Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCAK).
The museum was formally opened by President Bronisław Komorowski, and aims to display the art of the past 20 years. The 10,000 square metre museum stands on the site of Oscar Schindler’s enamel factory, on ul. Lipowa 4.
MOCAK began life back in 2007, when Italian architects Claudio Nardi and Leonard Maria Proli won a competition to design the building. Work finally began in December 2009, and was completed earlier this year.
Speaking at the official opening, the president said he wanted to “strive for Poland to be associated with contemporary art, catching up and competing with the modern world.”
Also present at the opening were Krakow’s mayor Jacek Majchrowski, and the museum’s first director, Maria Anna Potocka.