Prague City Council insists on Mucha's Slav Epic

Prague, July 29 (CTK) - Lawyers of the Prague City Hall are of the view that the town hall of Moravsky Krumlov, south Moravia, was not entitled to ban the removal of the Slav Epic, a cycle by Art Nouveau artist Alfons Mucha, to Prague as it was biased, Prague counsellor Ondrej Pecha told journalists yesterday.

Prague wants to base its case on this and other arguments if it does not make agreement with Moravsky Krumlov, Pecha said.

Pecha said Prague would send a letter with its arguments to the secretary of the Moravsky Krumlov town hall, hoping that it would revoke its decision.

Prague will also appeal the ban, he added.

Lawyer Roman Felix, who represents Prague in the dispute, said Moravsky Krumlov had decided in a biased way on the case as Prague had no chance of voicing its position before the decision was made.

On Monday, Moravsky Krumlov banned the manipulation with the paintings at the request of the Mucha family until the legal problem with the deed of gift from 1913 in which Mucha (1860-1939) donated the paintings to Prague is solved.

The transfer of the paintings from Moravsky Krumlov to Prague was to start on Monday.

The Slav Epic, a cycle of paintings depicting the history of Slavs, appeared in the Moravsky Krumlov chateau in a very poor state after World War Two. It was restored in the chateau and put on display.

Prague considers the Slav Epic its property.

Opponents of the transfer, however, point out that Mucha gave the cycle to the city of Prague on condition it builds a new pavilion for it. This has not happened, but the Prague Municipal Gallery still wants to put the paintings on display in the Veletrzni Palace, used by the National Gallery.

The Mucha family claims that the deed of gift was not legally effective as Prague has failed to build the pavilion.

President Vaclav Klaus sides with Moravsky Krumlov town hall. Klaus said Prague did not need the works of art as it had enough splendid cultural monuments.

Prague Mayor Pavel Bem, who was always close to Klaus in his political career, yesterday stood up against Klaus.

"It is absurd to place the affair into a political context," Bem told the paper Mlada fronta Dnes yesterday.

"The work is unique, deserving care and a dignified location. This is what Mucha wanted in his last will," Bem said.