The wonderful work of Czech artist and designer Alfons Mucha
I have long been an enthusiast for the work of Czech designer and artist Alfons Mucha (1860-1939) who is most famous for his association with the style of Art Nouveau. I have been to several exhibitions of his work and I own six books about his posters and paintings. At the weekend, I was in Prague and had the opportunity to see two brilliant exhibitions of the work of Mucha.
The first exhibition was at the Municipal House (Obecni dum) and consisted of a huge collection of Mucha’s posters and panels which have been collected over decades by the one-time Czech tennis ace Ivan Lendl. Most of this work dates from the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, much of it during Mucha’s time in Paris. Many of the images have become very famous and you can see them today on greetings cards and the like.
The second exhibition was at the Trade Fair Palace (Veletrzni palac) and consisted of the 20 huge paintings that make up Mucha’s “Slav Epic’. These paintings have only recently moved to Prague after previously being located in the artist’s home town in Moravia. The paintings were done from 1912-1926 and are largely unknown outside his homeland, not least because understanding the subject matter requires a knowledge of Slav history that I for one do not have but is contained in a useful booklet available at the gallery.
The first event is a world premiere and it is currently the most visited fine arts exhibition in the Czech Republic. I am sure that, when it concludes in mid September, it will go to other countries. However, I cannot imagine the ‘Slav Epic’ ever leaving the Czech Republic (although I once saw the last painting in the series in a London exhibition), so you will have to go to Prague to see it.