Moravskokrumlov councilors approved the loan agreement for the Slav Epic

Moravský Krumlov – The representatives of Moravský Krumlov took another step today towards the return of the famous Slav Epic by Alfons Mucha to the Moravský Krumlov Castle, where the canvases were displayed for 25 years. They approved a contract for the loan of twenty canvases for five years from the Gallery of the Capital City of Prague (GHMP). This was confirmed to ČTK by the mayor of Moravský Krumlov, Tomáš Třetina (TOP 09).

The leadership of both cities has been negotiating the text of the contract since the beginning of this year. In the coming weeks, GHMP is expected to announce specific dates for the transfer and installation of the canvases in the newly renovated spaces of the castle in Moravský Krumlov. Their adaptation for the purpose of exhibiting the epic cost 57 million crowns. The spaces have been certified since January of this year.

Prague lost a lawsuit last December when the District Court for Prague 1 ruled that the cycle does not belong to Prague, thereby granting the lawsuit of the painter's grandson, John Mucha. The verdict is not final; the city has previously stated that it will appeal the court's decision.

The first 11 canvases of the epic were exhibited in 1919 at the Clementinum in Prague, and from 1920 to 1921, they achieved success at exhibitions in New York and Chicago. The entire epic was first exhibited in 1928 at the Trade Fair Palace in Prague, and the paintings came under the administration of the Gallery of the Capital City of Prague. In 1933, the canvases were rolled up and stored in a depository. It was not until 1963 that they were exhibited again at the castle in Moravský Krumlov. After 1989, however, the castle, which previously housed, among other things, a railway school, fell into disrepair. The canvases were displayed there until 2011 and are now in the depository of the Gallery of the Capital City.