Prague will showcase the Slavic Epic by Alfons Mucha in the Savarin Palace for the next 25 years.
There has been a dispute with one of the heirs to the collection, John Mucha, and it has been settled that there will be a space in the area for the family’s collection to exhibit.
The developer, Welwyn, will be in charge of this operation and administration. This was decided from an agreement with the Mucha Foundation, Prague as the city and Welwyn – and was approved by Prague councilors.
The collection includes twenty large canvases which were first painted in 1910. Last year they were loaned to Moravský Krumlov for the next five years, where it is currently exhibited.
The next 25 years they will belong to Prague on a lease term which will be under the same conditions unless the exhibitor and the developer agree otherwise.
This agreement is the conclusion on a long-standing dispute between john Mucha and the capital over the ownership of the canvases. If he decides to sign the agreement, this means that he agrees to acknowledge the city’s ownership of the artwork and withdraw any legal suits within 30 days of signing.
Prague will not move the paintings other than to its own exhibition spaces intended only for the epic. As this is was Alfons Mucha requested.
According to the document, the hall where the epic will take place should be 23 meters wide and more than 60 meters long. The canvases will be placed opposite each other, with a space of about fifteen meters between them.
Proceeds from this operation of the permanent exhibition will be collected by the operator of Prague, the Gallery of the Capital City and the Mucha Foundation. This money will be used to cover the costs of managing and maintaining the exhibition.
