Part of the epic arrived in Moravský Krumlov in the previous days, the rest is now on the way.

Moravský Krumlov – A part of the 20 canvases of the Slavic Epic by Alfons Mucha arrived on Tuesday and Wednesday in Moravský Krumlov, where the town will display the work in the castle. The last part is on its way and will arrive today. This was stated to journalists today by the mayor of Moravský Krumlov, Tomáš Třetina (TOP 09). He did not want to disclose details as per an agreement with the Prague gallery due to security concerns.

The Epic is being transported by truck in special crates. Once all the canvases are in Krumlov, they will be prepared for display. According to Třetina, the town wants to show the canvases to the public as early as July.

Prague lent the canvases to Krumlov on the condition that the town renovate the castle. Among the requirements were necessary technical equipment, special negotiated insurance, and the spaces had to be equipped with a special fire protection system and security devices. The renovations of the castle cost 58 million, of which 43 million was covered by the state, ten million was provided by the region, and the rest was paid by the town.

The cycle of paintings consists of 20 large canvases that Mucha painted from 1910 over the next 18 years and dedicated them to Prague. The first 11 canvases of the epic were exhibited in 1919 at the Clementinum in Prague and from 1920 to 1921, they received acclaim 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 the depot.

It was not until 1963 that they were exhibited again at the castle in Moravský Krumlov, from where they were removed by the then leadership of Prague in 2011. They were then placed in the depot of the Gallery of the Capital City, as Prague had no venue to exhibit them.