Alphonse Mucha
Born – Ivancice, Czechoslovakia 1860
Died – Prague, Czechoslovakia 1939
Alphonse Mucha trained and worked in Munich, Vienna and Paris. He produced a broad range of work during his career but came to international prominence through his poster designs. F. Champenois, France 1898 is a prime example of his linear-based, decorative style. A product of Art Nouveau, the image features a beautiful woman surrounded by a swirling, circular design. Mucha’s women, unusually for Art Nouveau, are not depicted as Femme Fatales, but as gentle, graceful, idealized versions of feminity shown here. In this pale, neutrally-toned work, the figure appears entwined by tendrils against the soft background of flowers. Many of Mucha’s best designs featured the actress Sarah Bernhardt, for whom he was also employed to design sets, costumes and jewellery. After several visits to the USA, he successfully built up a following there. In 1922, he returned to his native Czechoslovakia and continued to work there until his death in 1939. His prolific output of postersm drawings, wallpaper, furniture, state sets, stained-glass work and jewellery featured in a major retrospective of his work at the Grand Palais in Paris in 1980.
Masterpieces:
- Salon Des Cents
- Gismonda
Text: The A-Z of Art, Nicola Hodge and Libby Anson.
Books About alphonse mucha
Mucha
Sarah Mucha
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Alphonse Mucha
Agnes Husslein-Arco
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Drawings of Mucha: 70 Works by Alphonse Maria Mucha Including 9 in Full Color
Alphonse Mucha
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