Prague's Mucha Museum to get new home in Savarin Palace

The Mucha Museum will open its doors in January next year in the newly renovated baroque Savarin Palace in Prague's city center, featuring a comprehensive exhibition of Czech Art-Nouveau artist Alfons Mucha's works, according to the museum’s directors. Its new display, designed by architect Eva Jiřičná and her AI Design studio, will span over 1,100 square meters.

The museum is now negotiating with Crestyl, the developer and owner of the Savarin project, to house Mucha's Slavic Epic—a cycle of 20 giant paintings depicting Slav mythology and Czech history—in the building.

The relocation is aimed at accommodating a larger number of visitors. "The existing premises were very crowded, especially in the summer, so we were looking for a new place to enable as many people as possible to admire Mucha's work," said Marcus Mucha, great-grandson of Alfons Mucha and executive director of the Mucha Foundation. "We want the new location of our collections to attract not only tourists, but also Czechs, and become a popular place for them."

The museum will utilize the most historically valuable and best-preserved rooms of the Savarin Palace, showing previously unexhibited works, including early oil paintings, hand-drawn studies for decorative documents, items exploring Mucha's fascination with Freemasonry, and study materials for the Slavic Epic. 

The City of Prague recently reached an agreement with John Mucha, the artist's relative, to withdraw a lawsuit challenging Prague's ownership of the artifacts after years of legal disputes. 

The Prague City Hall leadership is still deliberating on the location of the Slavic Epic, with Deputy Mayor Jiří Pospíšil stating that the city is in talks with the Crestyl group but has not ruled out other options. "There are a number of ongoing negotiations, and we expect everything to be finalized and approved soon," said Ondřej Mička, spokesperson for Crestyl.

The Slavic Epic large-scale canvases are currently on loan at the Moravský Krumlov Castle in South Moravia until 2026. The new museum location and exhibition are expected to attract a large number of visitors, both locals and tourists, and provide a chance to explore Mucha's artistic legacy.

The Savarin Palace, originally designed by German architect Kilian Ignác Dientzenhofer in the 18th century, underwent a three-year restoration project. It will no longer house a casino, but instead will be reserved for exhibitions and shopping options. 

The palace has a long and storied history in Czech culture. It was once home to the Ethnographic Museum and a well-known social club frequented by famous figures such as journalist Ferdinand Peroutka, director Hugo Haas, and playwright Jan Werich. Later, it served as a venue for social events and the world's first black-light theater.