Alphonse Mucha

Alfons Mucha (1860-1939) was a Czech artist who stood at the cradle of the Art Nouveau movement at the ‘Fin de siècle’ turn of the 19th century. Mucha, living in Paris at the time, became quite an overnight sensation with his poster of actress Sarah Bernhardt starring in the play Gismonda.

His fresh new style with its strong contours, natural motifs and elegantly graceful female figures created a completely new visual take on the world, and his popular advertising posters and decorative panels dominated the streets and living rooms of Paris. In his later life Mucha became involved in the Czechoslovak liberation movement and devoted himself entirely to his latterday work The Slav Epic, twenty canvasses of monumental proportions telling the history of the Slavic peoples. His work continues to inspire artists today, and the legacy of his visual language can still be felt in popular art, whether in psychedelic rock’n roll posters, Japanese manga, or in superhero movies and video games.

The Mucha Foundation, chaired by the artist’s grandson John Mucha, acts as the guarantor of preserving his artistic legacy.

More information can be found here