Muchova family is preparing a concept for a permanent exhibition of the Slav Epic

Prague - The Mucha Foundation is preparing the basic technical and visual concept for a permanent exhibition of the Slav Epic, which is to be established in the future at the Main Station in Prague. The documentation will be submitted to the city hall by mid-March. According to the painter's grandson, John Mucha, the exhibition concept will be identical to the original designs of Alphonse Mucha. Furthermore, the foundation will supplement it with original studies, drawings, and photographs.
According to John Mucha, three interested parties have agreed on the placement of the Slav Epic in the railway building designed by architect Josef Fanty: the city leadership, part of the Mucha family, and the Italian company Grandi Stazioni, which is reconstructing the station. "The assumption is that in the spring of 2014, the Slav Epic will be opened at the Main Station in Prague," said Mucha's grandson at today’s meeting with journalists. The station was also identified as the ideal space for the epic in a study commissioned last year by Prague's mayor Bohuslav Svoboda (ODS).
Currently, twenty large-scale canvases with Slavic themes are stored in a Prague depot. The Gallery of the Capital City of Prague (GHMP) had the works transported in the autumn of last year from the castle in Moravský Krumlov, where they had been exhibited since 1963. The reason for the transfer, which was accompanied by protests from local residents, was a planned two-year exhibition at the Trade Fair Palace. "We all have a huge debt towards Krumlov. I personally feel very sorry for what has happened to Krumlov," added Mucha. He recalled the city's contributions to the restoration of the valuable works and their care. He personally disagrees with the exhibition of canvases at the Trade Fair Palace in Prague. According to him, the gallery space is too brightly lit, and heating is also problematic.
The original deadline for the exhibition was set for the end of 2011. According to GHMP spokesperson Michaela Moučková, however, it can be expected that the installation will ultimately be completed by the end of this March, possibly at the beginning of April.
John Mucha admitted that the future of the canvases now primarily depends on political support. In case establishing a permanent exhibition at the Main Station fails, Mucha is determined to remain involved in the fate of the epic. If he fails to find an investor for a separate space in Prague, he will direct his efforts to Moravský Krumlov. According to him, the city has a moral right to the canvases, even though nearly a hundred years ago his grandfather donated the canvases to the Czech metropolis. However, according to him, a condition for a permanent exhibition in Krumlov would have to be the reconstruction of the castle or the construction of entirely new spaces in its courtyard.
The Slav Epic consists of 20 large-scale paintings inspired by Slavic mythology and the history of the Czechs and Moravians. Mucha donated the paintings to Prague on the condition that a pavilion would be built for them. This has not happened yet. The capital city does not have the funds for a new building.