Alfons Maria Mucha Biografhy

The story of the Slav Epic begins in nearby Ivančice, where Alfons Maria Mucha was born into the family of a court servant on July 24, 1860. Young Alfons attended high school in Brno but was expelled in 1876 due to poor grades. At his father's request, he secured a position as a junior clerk at the court in Ivančice. Due to a lack of talent, he was not admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, so he went to Vienna. There he obtained a position in a workshop that specialized in theatrical decorations. To further develop his talent, he attended evening drawing and painting classes under the guidance of Austrian artist Hans Makart. Upon returning to Moravia, Mucha worked as an assistant painter in Mikulov and supplemented his income by painting portraits of local dignitaries. His talent was noticed by Count Khuen-Belassi, who offered the young Mucha a job decorating a chateau in Hrušovany. Thanks to the count, Alfons Mucha was able to study in Munich and Paris, where he began his studies at the Julian Academy and continued at the Colarossi Academy. In Paris, during the Christmas holidays of 1894, Alfons Mucha accepted a commission to create a poster for the new play "Gismonda" by the famous Parisian actress Sarah Bernhardt. Mucha worked closely with Sarah for several years, creating not only posters for individual plays but also designs for costumes, jewelry, and sets. This collaboration quickly brought him international success. His style had a revolutionary influence on Art Nouveau as a whole. In France, Mucha also met his future wife. During his three trips to America, Mucha began teaching drawing and raising funds for his greatest project, the Slav Epic. He successfully realized this project thanks to millionaire Charles Richard Crane. Mucha dedicated himself to this grand project from 1910 to 1928 in the premises of Zbiroh Castle. In 1918-1919, he interrupted his work on the Slav Epic to design stamps, banknotes, and the state coat of arms for the newly founded Czechoslovak Republic. The complete work of the Slav Epic was officially presented in 1928 at the Trade Fair Palace. In 1931, Alfons Mucha became one of the artists selected to create stained glass windows in St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague's Hradčany district. Before World War II, Alfons Mucha returned to France. In 1938, he returned to Czechoslovakia, where he was arrested by the Gestapo in the spring of the following year. Due to his detention and interrogation, he became seriously ill with pneumonia. He died on July 14, 1939, and is buried at the Slavín cemetery in Prague. In 1950, the council of the municipal national committee of the capital city decided that the work would be loaned to the town Moravský Krumlov and placed in the castle, but it would remain the property of the capital city. In 1963, the Prague City Gallery was established, and the work became part of its collection, which the town of Moravský Krumlov has borrowed from the gallery GHMP. The Slav Epic was restored thanks to contributions from Krumlov citizens and was completely displayed in 1968.