'Art for Everyone': Mucha's Masterpiece to Find Home in Prague, 100 Years On
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Loading... - Luna Alfaro
- 10 Feb 2025
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Alfons Mucha, the renowned Art Nouveau painter, is set to offer "art for everyone" with the opening of a new museum in Prague this month, which will ultimately house his monumental Slav Epic masterpiece after decades in storage. This initiative is led by his great-grandson, Marcus Mucha, who aims to honor the artist's legacy and philosophy.
The museum, located in the Baroque Savarin Palace in Prague's UNESCO-listed historic center, will showcase over 100 works by Mucha, including paintings, lithographs, and sketches, starting from February 24. Among the highlights will be four smaller reproductions of the Slav Epic, a grand cycle of 20 canvases that depict significant moments from the history and mythology of the Slavic peoples.
Mucha dedicated 18 years to the creation of the Slav Epic, completing it in 1928, a decade after Czechoslovakia gained independence following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Although the series was initially displayed in Prague, it was quickly relegated to storage and even hidden under a pile of coal during the Nazi invasion in 1939.
The Slav Epic was not exhibited again until 1963 at Moravsky Krumlov castle, where it remained until its removal in 2011 due to the castle's deterioration. After a decade of reconstruction, the cycle toured Japan in 2017, attracting 660,000 viewers. Mucha had donated the work to Prague in 1913 under the condition that the city find a suitable venue for it, a promise that had remained unfulfilled until now.
Describing the Slav Epic as "a sensitive national treasure," Marcus Mucha stated that the masterpiece will eventually be displayed in a specially designed space within the Savarin Palace, created by acclaimed British architect Thomas Heatherwick. Until that section is completed, smaller reproductions will be rotated in one of the museum's three rooms, allowing visitors to engage with the Epic's rich narratives.
Marcus Mucha hopes to have the new section housing the Slav Epic open by 2028, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of its completion. He noted that Mucha's influence waned in the West during the Nazi occupation and the subsequent communist regime, but the artist remains a source of inspiration for many, including notable figures like Cuban-American comic artist Joe Quesada.
Interestingly, Marcus recounted a moment when Disney Studios contacted him about using one of Mucha's images, specifically Princess Hyacinth in an ice palace, as the inspiration for the animated film Frozen.
The Savarin Palace, situated on Prague's upscale Na Prikope street, is near the Estates Theatre, where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart conducted the premiere of his opera Don Giovanni in 1787. Marcus Mucha expressed pride in having his great-grandfather's work displayed in such a historic and culturally rich location, stating, "If Alfons were here today, as we feel his spirit around us, I think he'd be feeling incredibly proud."
The opening of the new museum dedicated to Alfons Mucha in Prague represents a significant milestone in honoring the artist's legacy and making his work accessible to the public. With the eventual display of the Slav Epic, Mucha's vision of "art for everyone" will come to fruition, enriching the cultural landscape of Prague and inspiring future generations.
