Alphonse MUCHA
(1860 – 1939)
Alphonse Mucha is without doubt the Master of Art Nouveau. His posters idealized opulent women with long flowing hair, usually surrounded by flowers, allegories and symbolic motifs. Several colored frames with golden motifs often surround the monumental image.
In 1894 his first poster for “Sarah Bernhardt” in the role of “Gismonda” assured him an immediate success. Up until 1905, he created hundreds of lithographs and sumptuous posters, each as beautiful as the following, thanks to the contribution of the printing agency Champenois in Paris.
Being at the summit of its art, this printing agency completely mastered the difficult printing in gold (Job, Salon des Cent, The Four Seasons). These Art Nouveau masterpieces were already highly prized in their time. The first poster collectors could buy them in Parisian bookshops for few francs. Currently, they are highly valued.