In the Trade Fair Palace, the installation of the Slav Epic has begun

Prague - The installation of the Slavic Epic has begun in the Great Hall of the Veletržní Palace in Prague. Conservators have started to unfold the first large canvases and hang them on pre-prepared boards. The exhibition, which cost 36 million crowns to prepare, will open to the public on May 10, said Milan Bufka, director of the Gallery of the Capital City of Prague, to ČTK.
    Conservators are unfolding the rolled canvases onto a cleaned surface, securing them with ropes to a metal structure, and then using ropes and aluminum rods to raise and attach them to the exhibition spaces distributed throughout the hall. As of noon today, three out of twenty paintings were secured. The work will take several days, after which the canvases will be framed with wooden frames. According to Bufka, lighting still needs to be installed in the hall. The gallery has covered the glass roof to prevent direct outdoor light from entering.
    "The Great Hall provides a generous space that allows visitors to view the work from a distance comprehensively as well as in detail up close," said conservator Tomáš Berger in an interview with ČTK. According to him, the Slavic Epic is arranged thematically across the canvases.
    The paintings, according to Berger, are in good condition. However, their history has often been troubled. "Even during (Alfons) Mucha's lifetime, they were sometimes rolled up for many years or exhibited in conditions where they were exposed to rain," said the conservator. They are in good condition only because Mucha painted them with very high-quality colors and techniques, and on durable material - sailing canvas.
    The long-awaited opening of the exhibition had to be postponed several times as the gallery faced delays in adjusting technology in the exhibition hall. The investment required modifications to heating and air conditioning to ensure the canvases could be displayed under suitable conditions. The exhibition will last at least two years. However, the director wishes for the Slavic Epic to remain in the gallery for at least five years. "Admission will be 180 crowns for adults, and if 200 people visit daily, the costs of installing the epic should be recouped in five years," he added.
    The relocation of Mucha's work from Moravský Krumlov and the placement of the paintings in the hall, which Prague decided on, has sparked strong emotions for several months. Both Moravský Krumlov, where the extensive work has been exhibited since the end of World War II, and the painter's descendants have expressed opposition. His grandson John Mucha is striving to have the work displayed in the Art Nouveau building of the Main Train Station in Prague.
    The Slavic Epic consists of paintings inspired by Slavic mythology and the history of the Czechs and Moravians. Alfons Mucha gifted the paintings to Prague on the condition that a pavilion would be built for them. This has yet to happen, as the capital does not have the funds for a new building.