Praha 3: Mucha's Epic should have an exhibition hall at Vítkov

Prague - Mucha's Slav Epic should have a new exhibition pavilion at Vítkov. This was agreed upon by the councilors of Prague 3. Mayor Vladislava Hujová (TOP 09) stated today that it would be a dignified place highlighting the country’s history. The leadership of Prague 1 offered a plot with a park at the end of Revoluční Street near Štefánik Bridge for the construction of the pavilion this week. The legendary cycle of canvases belongs to Prague. Mucha bequeathed it to the city with the condition that a dignified exhibition hall be built for the work. That has not happened yet.

The Epic is currently provisionally located in the Trade Fair Palace, where Mucha's work will be on display until the end of this year. After exhibitions in Japan and China, the cycle could be moved to exhibitions in South Korea and the USA. When the Epic will return to the Czech Republic has not been specified by politicians yet. Mayor Adriana Krnáčová (ANO) previously mentioned the possibility of building a new gallery in the capital.

The mayor of Prague 3 joined today the opinion of some experts, who believe that the cycle of twenty large-format canvases should not travel abroad. "Mucha donated his work in 1928 to the city of Prague and the entire Czechoslovak population, not to Chinese art lovers. This monumental symbolic work was created during the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia, and it should also be appropriately commemorated at home for its centennial anniversary," Hujová stated. According to her, the leadership of Prague should announce an international architectural competition for the design of the exhibition hall.

The cycle of canvases depicting Slavic mythology is listed as a cultural monument. The work was moved to Prague from Moravský Krumlov in 2012 amidst great media attention, where it had been exhibited for decades at the local castle.