 In the 1990s, under the direction of Jaroslav Krbůšek, the Václav Špála Gallery became generally known as a forward-looking exhibition space for contemporary Czech art.Beginning in 2002, the gallery was run by the Czech Art Foundation (Nadace Český fond umění), which began to lease the gallery to anyone who was willing to pay.This resulted in public protests from a range of people in the art world.