The National Gallery in London: Where to Start?
Having lived in London for the past three years as an art lover, I have had more than my fair share of questions about where to “start” at the...
Sophie Pell 3 February 2025
Museum Stories
Alphonse Mucha: Art Nouveau Visionary at North Carolina Museum of Art
20 September 2021 min Read
Alphonse Mucha, Daydream (Rêverie), 1897, Mucha Trust Collection, Prague, Czech Republic. © 2021 Mucha Trust. Courtesy of North Carolina Museum of Art. Detail.
Czech-born Alphonse Mucha was one of the most celebrated artists in Paris at the turn of the 20th century. As an influential force behind the Art Nouveau movement, he created sumptuous posters and advertising—promoting such everyday products as cigarette papers and tea biscuits—that transformed the streets of Paris into open-air art exhibitions. Opening on October 23, Alphonse Mucha: Art Nouveau Visionary at the North Carolina Museum of Art celebrates the Mucha Trust Collection’s first major U.S. tour in 20 years.
He is best known for his graphic work, such as theater posters for superstar actress Sarah Bernhardt and decorative panels and advertisements featuring graceful women.
Alphonse Mucha: Art Nouveau Visionary
The exhibition Alphonse Mucha: Art Nouveau Visionary, co-organized by the North Carolina Museum of Art and the Mucha Foundation, features a vast array of posters, illustrations, ornamental objects, and rarely seen sculpture, photography, and self-portraits—all showcasing Mucha’s distinctive style of harmonious compositions, sinuous forms, organic motifs, and lush color palettes. Additional works from the NCMA’s collection highlight Mucha’s influence in America and his close friendship with French sculptor Auguste Rodin.
Despite the powerful impact of Mucha’s style, his ideas behind its development are less well known. Alphonse Mucha: Art Nouveau Visionary draws on the latest research to examine the theoretical aspects of his style, which evolved as a language for communication with the wider public. Featuring some 100 objects from the Mucha Trust collection, including rarely seen works from the artist’s family, the exhibition looks at Mucha’s contributions to the Art Nouveau style and how he later used his visual language to express his vision for an independent Czechoslovak nation.
If you happen to be in North Carolina this autumn make sure to visit this exhibition! The show is opening October 23, 2021, and on view through January 23, 2022.
Get your daily dose of art
Click and follow us on Google News to stay updated all the time
We love art history and writing about it. Your support helps us to sustain DailyArt Magazine and keep it running.
DailyArt Magazine needs your support. Every contribution, however big or small, is very valuable for our future. Thanks to it, we will be able to sustain and grow the Magazine. Thank you for your help!
Nicole worked as an Editor in the DailyArt Magazine and has MA degree in art history. She is passionate about 17th-century Dutch art and colonial history. Her life-goal is to work with art and experience its beauty on a daily basis.
Recommended
How the Courtaulds Built London’s Greatest Impressionist Collection
In January 1889, after a heated argument with his friend Paul Gauguin that led him to cut off part of his left ear, Vincent van Gogh painted one of...
Javier Abel Miguel 6 February 2025
Discover Kraków’s Hidden Gems: National Museum in Kraków Staff Picks
Established in 1879, the National Museum in Kraków is the largest museum in Poland. Its vast collection, presented within 12 separate branches of...
Szymon Jocek 23 January 2025
Beautiful Landscapes and Indigenous Art: The McMichael Canadian Art Collection Staff Picks
The McMichael Canadian Art Collection, located in Kleinburg, Ontario, is the largest public art collection in Canada that focuses exclusively on...
Szymon Jocek 17 November 2024