There is interest in the Slav Epic in M. Krumlov, tickets are almost sold out

Moravský Krumlov - The first visitors who do not live in Moravský Krumlov came today to see 20 canvases of the Slav Epic by Alfons Mucha at the castle in Moravský Krumlov. Tickets purchased online are sold out except for the last few pieces; some are reserved for purchase directly on-site, said Jakub Růžička, who represents the exhibition in the media, to ČTK today.

"Tickets purchased online are practically sold out for the weekend. Since morning, people without purchased tickets have been arriving, and they usually get to the exhibition within an hour. A portion of the tickets is reserved for on-site sales," said Růžička. The basic admission fee is 250 crowns; it is better according to him to buy tickets online. Every hour from 9:00 to 17:00, 100 people can visit the exhibition.

The exhibition opened to the public this morning. From Wednesday to Friday, it was open in a trial operation for the residents of Moravský Krumlov. The cycle of 20 canvases returned to the renovated premises at the end of June from the storage of the Gallery of the Capital City of Prague (GHMP). It will be displayed here for five years, after which the work is expected to return to Prague and could be placed for 25 years in the Savarin Palace on Wenceslas Square. Meanwhile, Prague would build a separate building for the epic, which was Mucha's condition when donating the canvases to the city. One of the heirs, Mucha's granddaughter Jarmila Mucha Plocková, disagrees with the placement in Savarin. She prefers a temporary location in the castle in Zbraslav.

The Slav Epic was exhibited in Moravský Krumlov since 1963. In 2011, it was taken away by the then leadership of Prague, which caused sharp disputes between the capital city and Moravský Krumlov.

Since then, the city has been trying to get the epic back, and in 2016 it purchased the local castle, which was privately owned, for 14 million crowns. Three years later, extensive renovations of the southern wing of the castle for 135 million crowns began. The spaces for the epic are located in the eastern wing, which has already been renovated. However, it was necessary to adjust the spaces for several tens of millions of crowns to meet the strict conditions for displaying the valuable work.

Meeting the conditions cost more than 60 million crowns, most of which was obtained by Moravský Krumlov from grants from the Ministry of Culture and part from the budget of the South Moravian Region. They relate to safety, the level and quality of exhibition spaces, lighting, and constant temperature and humidity. The space maintains around 20 degrees Celsius and fifty-five percent humidity. The castle now meets the highest European standards for exhibiting artworks.

The cycle of paintings consists of 20 large canvases that Mucha painted over 18 years from 1910. He dedicated them to Prague. The first 11 canvases of the epic were exhibited in 1919 at the Clementinum in Prague and garnered success at exhibitions in New York and Chicago from 1920 to 1921. The entire epic was first exhibited in 1928 at the Trade Fair Palace in Prague, and the paintings were transferred under the administration of GHMP. In 1933, the canvases were rolled up and stored in a depository. It wasn't until 1963 that they were exhibited again at the castle in Moravský Krumlov.