Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939)

Short biography

In 1887, Mucha left his homeland to go to Paris, which was the breeding ground of art in those days. Seven years later, in 1894, Mucha had his big break with a poster for the play Gismonde, in which French actress Sarah Bernhardt played the lead role. She was the start of the Parisian theatre. Mucha acquired a lot of fame and his posters were even stolen from their places in the city. His artwork was popular because of the whimsical whiplash style, sensual women, pastel-coloured flowers/birds and elegant motifs. Mucha mostly made lithographs and posters, but he also created decors, furniture, costumes and jewellery, which were made by the goldsmith George Fouquet (1862-1957). He also made stained windows for, among others, the Saint Vitus cathedral in Prague. Because of his posters for companies like Waverley Cycles (1898), Job blotting paper (1898) and the champagne brand Moët & Chandon (1899), his work became popular worldwide. Besides being an artist, Alphonse Mucha was also active in the world of freemasonry. He joined the Parisian Grand Lodge in 1898 and founded the Czech freemasonry later on, in which he had various high functions.

Famous artwork

Due to new printing techniques, Mucha’s work was spread around on a large scale. This matched Mucha’s vision of art, as he believed that it was for the people. The printing company acquired the exclusive reproduction rights to Mucha’s work. It was also their idea to print the posters without any text: panneaux décoratifs, like the world famous series ‘The Four Seasons’, the series “The Times of the Day’ and the series ‘Les Arts’, which showed the four most important art forms, like La Danse and La Musique. Art Deco Web Store has stunning tapestries of these series. There is also the tapestry Rubis that has been executed in stunning, warm colours and a series existing of two tapestries: The Blonde and The Brunette. Besides tapestries, Art Deco Web Store offers many more lovely accessories with the beloved designs by Alphone Mucha. Have a look at the candlestick, picture frame, clock, Mucha candle, Mucha umbrella stands, post cards, lamp, mirror, latte macchiato set, vase, stunning lanterns with ‘The Four Seasons’ and the bottle stoppers. The pièce de résistance is the Mucha armchair, which is upholstered with one of the magnificent ‘The Four Seasons’ by Alphonse Mucha.

Sources: wikipedia.org, kunstbus.nl