In a startling public relations coup, the developer Crestyl revealed that its Savarin project on Wenceslas Square been chosen by the Institute for Planning and Development (IPR) as one of the best locations for the placement of Alphonse Mucha’s monumental Slav Epic. Completed during the second two decades of the 20th century, this series of 20 enormous canvases is the artist’s most famous work. However, while the painter donated the paintings to the City of Prague, he stipulated that they should be placed permanently in a venue built specially to house them. A century has not proved enough time to fulfill this condition, which is being monitored by the artist’s family through the Mucha Foundation. Crucially, the foundation has given the thumbs up to the idea of placing the paintings in the Savarin project.
“Over the years we have heard many ideas where to place the Slav Epic. The search for a home has taken Prague nearly 100 years and we’re convinced that Palac Savarin fulfills my grandfather’s wish, with which he made the gift to Prague,” said John Mucha. It will not have hurt Crestyl’s chances of housing the paintings that it brought in the architectural heavyweight Thomas Heatherwick for the project. “Thomas Heatherwick showed us and also consulted with us the idea for displayign the 20 canvasses…and I’m convinced that grandfather would have been proud of such a presentation of his crowning work. As I’ve said numerous times before, the moment there’s clarity on a home for the Slav Epic, I will end the court battle with the city, because the will of my grandfather will have been fulfilled.”
Simon Johnson of Crestyl said the company had been negotiating with the Mucha family for months to work out a selection of his lifetime’s work. He said the developer would cover the costs connected with the construction and fitout of the space. This means that the city wouldn’t have to assume any of the immediate financial burdens for creating the exhibition but would be able to earn revenues from visitors.
The value of such an attraction for a project like Savarin can hardly be overstated. The idea is apparently not just to put the 20 paintings on permanent display but to include many of the studies and sketches Mucha drew while developing his ideas for the epic.
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