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December 1st, 2008
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An epic journey

Amid continued squabbling, Alfons Mucha's masterwork makes its way to Prague

September 3rd, 2008 issue

By Anna Foden

COURTESY IMAGES
Markedly different in style from Mucha's well-known posters and decorative work, the 20 paintings that comprise the Slav Epic portray the history of the Slavic people and their rulers, often in symbolic imagery.
For the Post
Alfons Mucha’s sumptuous Art Nouveau illustrations are famous all over the world. Images of his gorgeous women are as ubiquitous in Prague as postcards of Kafka and Charles Bridge. But what is arguably his greatest work is less well-known, and has been seen by comparatively few people.
Now it looks as if Mucha fans will finally get to see his great work, as plans are under way to bring his Slav Epic to Prague next year.
Mucha spent 18 years creating the Slav Epic as a gift to the Czech nation. The cycle of 20 monumental paintings depicts myths and legends from Slavic history. Painting in the era of nationalist awakening, Mucha wanted to show his countrymen who they were and where they had come from.
Although they feature dramatic figures and elements of fantasy, the paintings of the Slav Epic are very different from the style of Mucha’s famous posters. The cycle of paintings, done in egg tempera with details in oil, begins with “Slavs in their Original Homeland,” depicting the Slavic people in their native country between the Vistula and the Dnepr rivers, and ends with “Apotheosis of the Slavs,” marking the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, when many Slavic nations gained independence. Along with scenes from Czech history, the paintings also include elements of Russian, Bulgarian and Serbian history.
Mucha donated the paintings to the city of Prague in 1928, on the condition that the city construct a dedicated building to exhibit the work. However, the paintings were shown only once here.
Considered a Czech patriot, freemason and Jewish sympathizer by the Nazi regime, Mucha was interrogated by the Gestapo and his work was banned. The Slav Epic was hidden, but some paintings were damaged in storage. In 1963, the city of Prague agreed that the work could be displayed in the south Moravian town of Moravský Krumlov, close to Mucha’s birthplace, Ivančice. The paintings have been on display in the former chapel of the crumbling chateau there ever since.
Building blues
Buried in the countryside so far from Prague, the Slav Epic is nevertheless seen by some 20,000 people every year. But conditions in the run-down yellow chateau are far from ideal. The paintings can only be viewed from April to October, as the chateau is not heated in winter. Nor does it have air-conditioning. The paintings are also so large — many are 6 x 8 meters (20 x 26 feet) — that it is not possible to display them in chronological order.
The city of Prague finally acted on longstanding plans to bring the cycle of paintings here by commissioning a new 170 million Kč ($10.2 million) exhibition building for the Slav Epic, slated to be built on the edge of the Výstaviště exhibition grounds in Holešovice. Architects Jindřich Smetana and Tomáš Kuklík designed an ultra-modern steel-framed structure that resembles a matchbox on its side. The exterior of the building is to be decorated with a giant Mucha signature, while inside, climate controls will help prolong the life of the canvases.
Originally, the plan was to open the new building in January 2009, but the project has been hit by delays. Incheba, the operating company of Výstaviště, allegedly objects to the proposed new building on the grounds that it would be higher than the big wheel of the nearby fun fair. The company would prefer the Slav Epic be displayed in one of the existing Křižík pavilions behind the Art Nouveau Industrial Palace. There are, however, concerns about this plan, as the pavilions are in an area prone to flooding. The new building is designed so that the paintings would be above the level of the 2002 flood.
Mucha’s heirs also reportedly think it is undignified to locate the Slav Epic close to the fun fair.
In May, City Councilman Milan Richter told the Web site Praha.eu that the Slav Epic will be taken from Moravský Krumlov next year and housed in one of the Křižík pavilions while a decixsion about the new building is reached. Richter equivocated on the fate of the new building project, insisting it had not been abandoned while admitting that Smetana and Kuklík’s design may never be constructed. Other alternatives include housing the paintings in the Industrial Palace or in the Klementinum (if and when the new National Library is built). Richter’s office says that a final decision on the future site of the paintings will be made by the end of the year.
Maximum Mucha
Moving the Slav Epic will be a big loss to the town of Moravský Krumlov.
“The Slav Epic brings a lot of visitors, so they don’t want to give it up,” notes Jana Hudcová, a tourism official at Prague City Hall.
Moravský Krumlov Mayor Jaroslav Mokrý told the Czech press that there was no reason to move the work, as Prague has not met the conditions of Mucha’s will. A local group has set up a petition to keep the paintings.
“Mucha’s will contains the condition that a special building has to be built,” Hudcová admits. However, it was Mucha’s wish that the work be displayed in Prague, she adds.
“I think the Slav Epic should be in Prague,” says Jana Ježková, who owns the Malá Šárka Gallery in Prague 6. “Prague is the center of the culture of our country and the Slav Epic is completely different from what is known of Mucha’s work.”
Still, does Prague need more Mucha? Are other artists being neglected in favor of a Mucha overload? Ježková thinks not.
“You can’t compare Mucha to anyone else in this country,” she says. “Alfons Mucha is Alfons Mucha, and I don’t think he takes interest away from other Czech artists.”
At City Hall, Hudcová likes the tourist appeal of the Slav Epic, but emphasizes its cultural and historical importance.
“It is very, very special and important for the Czech people because of the theme,” she explains. “Because it was painted when the state of Czechoslovakia was [formed] after the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it is very important for us and for our children.”
Presumably, when the Slav Epic does return to Prague, it will be guaranteed at least one visitor: Hudcová. “I’ve never seen it!” she readily admits.
Anna Foden can be reached at features@praguepost.com


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