Alphonse Mucha
(Czech, 1860–1939)
Biography
Alphonse Mucha was a Czech artist known for his unique Art Nouveau illustrations and designs. Mucha’s style transformed the medium of poster design with its vertical orientation, tendril-like lines, and soft pastel colors. “The purpose of my work was never to destroy but always to create, to construct bridges,” he once said. Born on July 24, 1860 in Ivancice, Moravia (present-day Czech Republic), Mucha spent two years studying at the Academy of Art in Munich before moving to Paris in 1887. During his years in France, he shared a studio with Paul Gauguin and practiced occult ceremonies with the famed Swedish playwright August Strindberg. As his career progressed, the artist began receiving large commissions to create decorative panels for private homes. One such work, The Seasons (1896), exemplifies Mucha’s distinctive stylization of the female figure and natural motifs. After securing financial backing for a proposed suite of ambitious paintings he moved to Prague. Now back in his home country, the artist toiled over the The Slav Epic (1910–1928) for more than a decade. After the Nazi invasion of Prague in 1939, Mucha was deemed a reactionary and subsequently interrogated by the Gestapo while seriously ill. He died later that year, on July 14, 1939 at the age of 78. Today, the artist’s works are included in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, and The Museum of Modern Art in New York, among others
Most Expensive Artwork Sold at Auction
The abolition of serfdom in Russia (reduced version), 1920
Sold price: 1,472,000 USD
Alphonse Mucha Artworks
.jpg "Premier shampooing d'Absalon (study), 1891")
Alphonse Mucha
Premier shampooing d'Absalon (study), 1891
Sale Date: December 14, 2010
Auction Closed
.jpg "Menu (+ 4 others; 5 works), 1900")
Alphonse Mucha
Lorenzaccio pièce en cinq actes d'Alfred de..., 1896
Sale Date: November 29, 2010
Auction Closed
Alphonse Mucha
Sarah Bernhardt, La dame aux camélias, 1896
Sale Date: November 29, 2010
Auction Closed
Alphonse Mucha
Documents décoratifs de Mucha, planche 13, 1902
Sale Date: November 29, 2010
Auction Closed
.jpg "Lefèvre - Utile, Gaufrettes vanille (Dessus..., 1898")
Alphonse Mucha
Lefèvre - Utile, Gaufrettes vanille (Dessus..., 1898
Sale Date: November 29, 2010
Auction Closed
.jpg "Gismonda Sarah Bernhardt, planche 27 (from..., 1896")
Alphonse Mucha
Gismonda Sarah Bernhardt, planche 27 (from..., 1896
Sale Date: November 29, 2010
Auction Closed
.jpg "Vodník (Ilustrace k Rusalce)")
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