After 100 years, Alfons Mucha's most extensive masterpiece finally finds a home in Prague

Alfons Mucha ’s (Ivančice, 1860 Prague, 1939) most extensive masterpiece, the Slovanská epopej (“Slavic Epic”), a huge cycle of twenty large canvases, would finally find a home: the work, a grand narrative of the myths and history of the Czechs and other Slavic peoples, created between 1910 and 1928, was donated by Mucha to the city of Prague in 1928 itself, on the condition that the capital build a special pavilion to house it. However, the Slovanská epopej experienced only partial exhibitions, and in addition, during World War II, it was also hidden to prevent it from being seized by the Nazis. The work was also unlucky after the 1948 coup d’état, as Mucha was an artist disliked by the communist regime, so the dream of a dedicated pavilion was not realized: however, the works were moved to the castle in Moravský Krumlov, a city in southern Moravia, where they remained until 2012.

In the 2000s, the city of Prague engaged in a battle with the Mucha Foundation (owner of the work) to bring the Slovanská epopej back to the city. Amidst controversy (even the city of Moravský Krumlov did not want to see the cycle leave), the canvases in 2012 left the castle for Veletržní Palác in Prague, where they were exhibited until 2016. Since then, apart from a few sporadic and partial exhibitions, Mucha’s large canvases have not been exhibited to the public. The twenty canvases vary in size (the largest 8.10 x 6.10 meters, the smallest 4.05 x 4.80 m) and depict, as anticipated, as many episodes from Slavic mythology and history: The Slavs in their homeland, The celebration of Svantovit, The introduction of the Slavic liturgy, Tsar Simeon of Bulgaria, The Bohemian king Přemysl Otakar II, The coronation of the tsar of the Serbs Stephen Dušan as Roman emperor of the East, Jan Milíč of Kroměříž, Jan Hus preaching at the Bethlehem chapel, The meeting of Kříž ky, After the battle of Grunwald, After the battle of Vítkov, Petr Chelčický at Vodňany, King Jiří of Poděbrady, The defense of Sziget against the Turks by Nicholas Zrinsky, The printing of the Kralice Bible at Ivanč ice, The Last Days of Jan Amos Komenský in Naarden, Mount Athos, The Oath of Omlandina, The Abolition of Serfdom in Russia, The Apotheosis of the Slavs.

After nearly 100 years, then, the cycle may find a home. Providing space and resources is the Crestyl Group, an Anglo-Czech company active in the real estate sector, which has announced that the Slovanská epopej will find a home in the Savarin complex, a monumental 15,000-square-meter site in Prague’s historical center (it is located near Wenceslas Square), redeveloped by the company (there are buildings, gardens, arcades: it will open in 2026) and indicated by the city’s Institute of Urban Planning as the most suitable place to which Mucha’s canvases should be allocated. A special space will be built to house the cycle by British architect Thomas Heatherwick, plus the Mucha Foundation has agreed to supplement the exhibition with a number of objects from the artist’s family collection (there will be documents, photographs, as well as sketches, drawings, and a few paintings). Until the pavilion is ready, the Slovanská epopej will remain stored in the castle in Moravský Krumlov: its rooms have recently been renovated to ensure the canvases the most appropriate storage conditions.

The exhibition space, the company announced, will be ten meters high and will make possible the presentation of the entire Slovanská epopej according to that unity of vision that Mucha desired: in addition, there will also be a bookshop selling books and gadgets about Mucha and also a space reserved for group guided tours. The area will thus be designed following Mucha’s wishes, with the goal of creating an important cultural space in the center of Prague. Five years of work is expected to complete the project. The costs of building the space will be covered by the Crestyl Group.

"We really appreciate the idea of participating in the arrangement of the Slovanská epopej within our Savarin Project," says Simon Johnson, executive director of the Crestyl Group. "We are delighted that the Savarin Project is supported by all parties in the Prague City Council, and we thank them. We have been negotiating for several months with the Mucha family to also find a selection of the artist’s output to be included in these spaces, so we see significant synergies related to the cycle exhibition. So, our offer to the city is proposed in collaboration with the Mucha Foundation. We are offering a solution that will finally put an end to the affair of the Slovanská epopej exhibition and make the painter’s wish come true. We are ready to take on all the costs related to the construction of the exhibition space, including even the arrangements that the exhibition of this work requires. Prague will therefore have no initial expenses for the creation of the space, and will also have an annual income on the proceeds."

"The twenty canvases in the Slovanská epopej are undoubtedly my grandfather’s masterpiece," says John Mucha, Alfons’ grandson and chairman of the Mucha Foundation’s board, "but the uniqueness of their display in the Savarin complex lies in the connection with our private collection. The collection is the largest and most comprehensive in the world: there are studies, pastels, drawings, oil paintings, photographs and written documents that accompanied the creation of the cycle. All of this can tell the story of the work’s creation and is a record of a historical period. The space will thus be a unique museum of international significance, comparable, from a conceptual point of view, perhaps only to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. In addition, the Slovanská epopej will be presented all together. All these years, we have heard many ideas about where to install the work: Prague has been looking for a home for it for almost a hundred years, and we are convinced that Savarin Palace can fulfill my grandfather’s wish, the condition for its gift to the city. I am convinced that my grandfather would be proud of how the display of his masterpiece has been designed. And as I have already said several times, since the issue of the Slovanská epopej house in Prague has been clarified, I will withdraw the lawsuit taken against the city, because my grandfather’s wish will be granted."

Pictured: the display of the Slovanská epopej in 2012 at Veletržní Palác, Prague.

After 100 years, Alfons Mucha's most extensive masterpiece finally finds a home in Prague

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.