Controversy
The city of Prague has waged a decade-long legal battle over the work which intensified in early 2010. Much consideration was given to the idea of relocating The Slav Epic from Moravský Krumlov, (where it has been displayed for about 45 years), to Prague. It was thought that Prague, a city frequented by countless thousands of tourists, would be able to attract increased attention to and interest in the series of paintings. However, there is no suitable space for the work in Prague's galleries. Therefore, some of the Czech state institutions, such as the Office of the President of the Czech Republic, found it preferable to keep the paintings in their existing location since there have been few problems with the space at which they are currently displayed. Nevertheless, in early 2010, the city of Prague requested the return of the Slav Epic for restoration works and subsequent display. However, the Mucha Foundation, run by the artist's grandson John Mucha and his mother Geraldine, blocked the move as it would simply be a provisional measure. The City of Prague argued that not Alfons Mucha but Charles R. Crane was the owner of the paintings and that he has donated the cycle to the City of Prague. According to the newspaper Mladá fronta DNES, the information was proved by contracts found in the city archive. The Foundation is in talks with the City of Prague for the construction of a permanent home for the work.
On 25 July 2010, over a thousand people gathered in Moravský Krumlov to protest against the planned move of The Slav Epic from the town.
After a two-year dispute over Alfons Mucha's Slav Epic between Prague and the Moravian town of Moravský Krumlov, the renowned cycle of 20 monumental canvases was, in an move protested by conservationists and art historians, taken for display at the National Gallery's Veletržní Palace in 2012 and will be there for the next two years.
Read more about this topic: The Slav Epic
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