Alphonse Mucha – Art Nouveau & Utopia showcases 178 important works by Mucha from the Mucha Trust Collection, including his renowned fin-de-siècle posters and decorative works alongside his lesser-known drawings, paintings, pastels, jewellery and photographs.
The exhibition reveals the breadth and complexity of his creative vision and explores his quest to evoke a mental and spiritual utopia in his work by seeking harmony between heaven, earth, and mankind. Through his decorative and commercial designs, Mucha attempted to capture the beauty and mystery of the divine.
The show focuses on six specific facets of his oeuvre:
A Bohemian in Paris
The first section will look at Mucha’s early works in Paris as an illustrator and the breakthrough in his artistic career, following the overnight success of Gismonda (1894), Mucha’s first poster for the French actress, Sarah Bernhardt. Hailed as the 'Divine Sarah', Bernhardt was an international superstar. Mucha’s friendship and professional collaboration with the great actress led him to fame in the Parisian art world.
The Creator of 'Le Style Mucha'
The commercial opulence of Belle Époque Paris provided turn-of-the-century artists with great opportunities to design advertising posters. Parisian hoardings became 'street galleries', and posters became a central feature of contemporary visual culture. With his distinctive graphic style, coined 'Le Style Mucha' by Parisians, Mucha became one of the most prominent poster artists during the late 1890s. Heralding modern advertising art, Mucha developed his graphic style as a visual language to reach out to the wider public.
A Cosmopolitan
Mucha’s artistic fame grew in parallel with the development of the Art Nouveau movement at the turn of the 20th century, and his name became synonymous with the new trend of visual art spreading internationally at the time. Reflecting his prominent standing in the international art world, Mucha was involved in a wide range of exhibitions and projects at the Paris World Exposition of 1900. In 1904, when Mucha travelled to the United States for the first time, his visit made newspaper headlines. Described as “the World’s Greatest Decorative Artist” by the New York Daily News, Mucha became a celebrity artist.
The Mystic
Like many European artists and intellectuals in the late 19th century, Mucha was drawn to Spiritualism. He was friendly with the renowned Swedish dramatist, August Strindberg, and he was deeply influenced by Strindberg’s mystic philosophy. Mucha was also close to a theosophical circle in Paris, and in 1898 he joined the Paris Lodge of Freemasons. Mucha continued his masonry practice, and after returning to his homeland, Mucha became Grand Master of the Czech Freemasons in 1923. This section will look at how Mucha’s Spiritualism influenced the development of his artistic philosophy and style, including Le Pater (1899), Mucha’s personal interpretation of The Lord’s Prayer, as well as the paintings and drawings that show Mucha’s symbolic use of human figures as a spiritual force which inspires and moves a man.
The Patriot
After a successful career in Paris and the United States, Mucha finally returned to his homeland in 1910. Ever since his departure from Ivančice 30 years ago, Mucha’s life had been driven by a vision to work for his homeland using his art. Over the last 10 years in Paris, in particular, Mucha had been making preparations for his ambitious project, the Slav Epic, which would consist of 20 enormous canvases (the largest measuring approximately 6 by 8 meters). Depicting the history of the Slavonic civilization, Mucha hoped to unite spiritually his fellow Slavs, and inspire them to work together for their common goal – the political independence of Slavonic nations.
The Philosophical Artist
In 1918 Mucha’s dream came true: as a result of the First World War, Mucha’s new country, Czechoslovakia, was born. Mucha’s vision for Slavonic unity was now expanded to humanity, and he continued to explore this theme for the rest of his life. In the last years of his life, when the threat of another war was approaching Europe, Mucha launched a new project, a triptych (1936-38): The Age of Reason, The Age of Wisdom and The Age of Love. Although the project was interrupted by Mucha’s death in 1939, the surviving studies convey Mucha’s Utopian message to us today: the balanced use of three human attributes – Reason, Wisdom and Love – would enable mankind to achieve progress and peace. This section will feature the works that reflect Mucha’s idea of universal love and faith, as well as his pacifism and Utopian philosophy.