Alphonse Mucha, Sarah Bernhardt & Art Nouveau

Alphonse Mucha came from Czechoslovakia to Paris in the late 1800s to study art. To support himself in his studies, he worked as an illustrator, providing images for magazines and books.

One day when he was in a publisher’s print shop, an important rush order came in:

. . . The order was from Sarah Bernhardt – the most famous actress in Paris. She wanted a poster designed for a play she was starring in and needed it ASAP. But, this was during the Christmas holidays, so none of her usual artists were available.

Mucha said he could do it, and the rest is history.

His design was a huge hit. Bernhardt loved it so much she ordered 4000 copies of it and signed him to a six-year contract to create more posters for her.

Soon, thanks largely to Bernhardt, Mucha’s posters were all over Paris -- and he was suddenly famous.

The jobs poured in. His work started a new art rage in Paris, originally called “Mucha Art,” and later “Art Nouveau.”

The look of his art was romantic yet stylized, with curving lines, shapely mythic-looking women with flowing hair, asymmetrical compositions, and design elements from the natural world, like flowers, vines, and insect wings.

Art Nouveau, characterized by a flowing, organic structure, was popular in art, design, and architecture from the late 1800s until World War I. In the graphic arts, Alphonse Mucha, along with Aubrey Beardsley, led the field.

But -- Mucha wanted to be a serious artist. He believed that art should convey bigger truths and spiritual meanings.

Unfortunately, his commercial success overshadowed his serious art.

When he was nearing 60, Mucha returned to Czechoslovakia and began work on “The Slav Epic,” a series of grand paintings about the history of the Slavic peoples. He worked on them for over a decade, throughout WWI and after. In 1928, he presented them to the Czech nation. He wanted to show his people that he hadn't sold out to commercial success but was still a serious and relevant artist.

Prague is the best city to see the art of Alphonse Mucha. There, you can visit the new Mucha Museum at the Savarin Palace to see “The Slav Epic” and many of his other works. You can also see many of his works in the original Mucha Museum, also in Prague.

Be sure to also check out the beautiful murals by Mucha in the Lord Mayor's Hall of Prague’s Municipal House (Obecní dům), described as a "temple of Art Nouveau."