Alfons Mucha: The Slav epic 19. 7. 2018 – 20. 1. 2020
After two years, The Slav Epic is again presented to the public. This time on the premises of the Municipal House, connected with the founding of Czechoslovakia and with another work by Alfons Mucha, who decorated the Mayor’s Hall there. The exhibition space of the Municipal House is one of the most representative in Prague and its Art Nouveau character is very closely related to Mucha’s decorative work. It gives a very suitable backdrop for The Slav Epic series, but its capacity is not enough for all of its twenty monumental canvases. Therefore it features eleven smaller-scale paintings mostly created during the First World War and later on, when Mucha was forced to adapt the original dimensions to the limited supply of canvas from Belgium.
The presentation of Mucha’s Slav Epic in the Municipal House is a worthy contribution to the important anniversary of the state of Czechoslovakia, the original idea of which was inspired by the Slavic history and its legacy.
After a successful reception of Mucha’s series in Japan, where The Slav Epic at the National Art Center was seen by over 660,000 people, there comes another opportunity for Czech and foreign visitors to see the larger part of this series in the grand atmosphere of the Municipal House as the historic center from which Czech statehood arose.
The exhibition has a different architecture from what the viewers are used to. We have tried to present the paintings in such a way so that everyone can get a better idea about the technical aspect of Mucha’s work, revealing at the same time how the canvas is mounted on the base frame. The installation makes it possible to see the paintings from the back and check the strength and quality of the canvas carefully chosen by Mucha for this purpose. We believe that this unusual view of Mucha’s monumental masterpieces will bring new experiences to the public and prove that The Slav Epic is still in good shape and can be expected to give us joy in another century.
