Alphonse Mucha and Art Nouveau

Alphonse Mucha created a new movement with his art as a pioneer in the advertising industry. His work helped shape the illustration advertising business as we know it today. Mucha's advertising illustrations in French art in the late 1800's and early 1900's were the foundation of the International Art Nouveau movement.

Mucha wanted to produce artwork with such detail that he began using photographs he took to paint his subjects. He began photographing models daily for his works. 

Mucha gained much of his recognition and notoriety from his collaboration with Sarah Bernhardt in his posters and her ability to keep public attention. He attempted to move out of the commercial art market and into fine art. At the same time he and Bernhardt developed the poster to promote LU cookies. This is believed to be the first celebrity endorsement on poster art and his artwork continued to be successful in marketing products. These famous posters led to Mucha's success in the fine art world.

While he created a variety of other styles of artwork. Alphonse Mucha is still most well known for his Art Nouveau works. 

Check out some of our Mucha Collection items here 

We have one of the largest Mucha Collections available from the Mucha Foundation.