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A highly influential figure in the Art Nouveau movement, Alphonse Mucha was one of the most celebrated artists in Paris at the “fin de siècle”. Mucha was born in Ivančice, Moravia (now the Czech Republic) in 1860, where he began his career painting theatrical scenery. After moving to Paris in 1887, he continued his studies while producing illustrations for magazines and advertisements. While wandering the streets of Paris in 1894, Mucha entered a print shop. They needed someone to design a poster advertising Gismonda, an upcoming play starring Sarah Bernhardt, the most famous actress in Paris at that time. He agreed to create a lithograph for them. Mucha produced a striking portrait of Bernhardt, depicted at near life size in a long, gold embroidered dress and robe; her head adorned in a crown of flowers. As his poster of Bernhardt began to cover the city of Paris, Mucha’s fame rose overnight. Bernhardt was so enamored with Mucha’s portrayal of her that she entered into a six-year contract with him. From then on, Mucha was a celebrated participant in the theater scene of Paris, creating numerous, beautiful illustrations for upcoming plays.

Mucha’s commercial work is so uniquely stylized that it has inspired many in the Art Nouveau movement. His advertisements often featured young women with flowing hair spun into spherical shapes, surrounded by glorious flowers. Utilizing a unique palette of pastel colors, Mucha’s artwork stood out in contrast to the contemporary posters of the time. As his popularity rose, many artists began to incorporate his style into their own works.

Although his commercial success ultimately led to larger commissions, later in his life Mucha was frustrated that his fame seemed to come solely from his work in advertising. Insisting that he created works purely inspired from within, his goal was to dignify and elevate art. He endeavored to bring honor to his birthplace through his work. Mucha decided then to only create artwork that celebrated his country. He had an idea for what he would later consider to be his most important work, his Slav Epic. In March of 1904, Mucha moved to New York, where he intended to look for patrons and funding for this endeavor.

He wrote to his family in Moravia, in the spring of 1904: "You must have been very surprised by my decision to come to America, perhaps even amazed. But in fact I had been preparing to come here for some time. It had become clear to me that that I would never have time to do the things I wanted to do if I did not get away from the treadmill of Paris, I would be constantly bound to publishers and their whims...in America, I don't expect to find wealth, comfort, or fame for myself, only the opportunity to do some more useful work."

Between finishing up final commissions and projects in Paris, Mucha married his wife in 1906 and they had their first child. He and his family remained in the United States until 1909. Mucha spent his time in the U.S. teaching illustration and design at the New York School of Applied Design for Women. He spent five weeks teaching at the Philadelphia School of Art and became a visiting professor at the Art Institute of Chicago. During this time, he rejected most commercial projects.

Mucha held on to his dream of being a history painter and to celebrate the accomplishments of the Slavic people through his art. From 1908 to 1909, he completed his plans for the Slav Epic and by 1910 Mucha’s most important patron, Charles Crane, agreed to fund it.

In 1911, Mucha embarked on a twenty-five-year journey to create his Slav Epic, a series of twenty monumental paintings sharing the history and mythology of the Slavic people. At the end of the series, the works were donated to the city of Prague. The Slav Epic was only exhibited twice during Mucha’s lifetime and after the second time in 1928, the paintings were placed in storage. After a recent exhibition in 2012, the series now awaits its new home in the newly designed Savarin Palace in Prague. Mucha created this series, imagining it as “light shining into the souls of all people with its clear ideals and burning warnings”. Mucha was and still is widely known for his Art Nouveau works, a fact which would frustrate him. Mucha was the most proud of his paintings that celebrated the Slavic people. Alphonse Mucha died in 1939, 10 days short of his 79th birthday.