Turmoil at Slovak National Gallery as department heads offer their resignations

In their letter, the five departmental heads said their first meeting with Niňaj on Tuesday "was full of intimidation, threats and investigations" and that they could no longer "do our job" under his leadership.

"Tensions are building throughout the institution, all the staff are demotivated, feeling unstable, frustrated and disgusted," they added.

The resignations, which are expected to take effect next week, are the latest development in an increasingly turbulent relationship between Slovakia's coalition government, led by the populist prime minister, Robert Fico, and the country's culture sector.

Mass protests were held over the summer following the government's decision to dismiss both Kusá and Matej Drlička, the head of the Slovak National Theatre, in what was seen as a politically motivated purge of the country's top cultural institutions.

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