Alphonse Mucha

Alphonse Mucha was one of the most influential artists of the Art Nouveau Movement. Originally from Czechoslovakia, his career blossomed in 1890s Paris with a series of thrillingly decorative posters of the famous actress Sarah Bernhardt. He became known for images of beautiful women in flowing robes, surrounded by snaking lines and sinuous flower arrangements. Having cemented his international reputation at the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1900, he enjoyed great success in America and also taught at the Art Institute of Chicago. Alongside posters, he designed theatre sets, furniture, jewelry and advertisements – all in his distinctive ‘Mucha’ style. Despite these triumphs, he longed to be recognized for his non-commercial work. The grandest of which was a vast cycle of paintings called the Slav Epic, commissioned by a Chicago industrialist. Sadly, he fell from fashion with the rise of Modernism, only to be ‘rediscovered’ in the late-twentieth century.