2. Artists & stock
3. Alphonse Mucha
4. Biography

Notes of biography

Alfons (Alphonse) Mucha is born in 1860 in Ivancice, Moravia (now Czech Republic). Mucha comes from a large family of the small bourgeoisie. The child draws a lot and very early, has for habit to caricature his comrades. After high school he becomes a violinist at the cathedral in Brno. Calligrapher as good as draftsman, he is appointed clerk in the court where his father was a bailiff.
He returns to Vienna when he is 19 years; there, he is hired by the Kautsky-Brioche-Burghardt home, specialist in theatrical scenery. After the closing of the house, Mucha moves to Mikulov, where he paints landscapes, portraits, and carries inscriptions on tombstones. Count Kluen, the lord of the place, commissions him to create murals in his castle and this work pleasing, permits him to be accepted by the local nobility.
Mucha enters in 1885, for two years, at the Art Academy of Munich. At 27 year of age, the artist moves to Paris where he enrolls at the Julian Academy. Alphonse Mucha must make a living; he enters a challenging period that lasts several years. His qualities make him known and the major publishing house Armand Colin hires him. Mucha lives in Montmartre and meets many artists (Gauguin, among others). Mucha is interested in photography, produces illustrations for the press. He discovers the work of Steinlen.
In 1894, a combination of circumstances brings him to create his first poster for Sarah Bernhardt's play; "Gismonda”, his poster, considered a big success - by the public and the actress - and Mucha collaborates with Sarah Bernhardt during six years with an exclusive contract for the theater. The actress has an international reputation; the manufacturers of perfumes, champagne or bike then crowd to the door of Mucha. His works are now on every wall and every day one can cross one of his creations (cigarette Job, Lu cookies, Champagne Ruinart, etc.).
Little by little, the name of Art Nouveau style is given to Mucha’s style and orders flow from all sides, which leads Mucha to be chosen for the Universal Exposition in 1900. He begins teaching in 1896. In 1897, the Bodiniere Gallery organizes an exhibition dedicated to him, the catalog preface is written by Sarah Bernhardt. Other exhibitions follow, even more prestigious. Mucha moves to New York in 1905, where his appearance is an event by itself. He soon returns to France and now wants to devote more time to his painting. In 1908, he makes his last great work of Art Nouveau: the decoration of the German Theater.
In 1910, Mucha decides to devote the rest of his life to paint twenty large paintings representing symbolic Epic of the Slavic people from ancient times. At that time, Mucha undertakes a study tour, then in 1911 moves to Zbirov where he works on his large canvases; at the same time, he works for the very young Czechoslovakia (stamps, banknotes, etc.) For which he does not accept any remuneration. In 1919, the first seven paintings are exhibited in Prague. The first eleven leave for the United States where the artist goes to live for two years; the paintings make sensation. In 1921 he returns to Europe and never leaves. All his energy is devoted to the Slav Epic. This one is formally delivered to the city of Prague in September 1928, but he works on them until his death.
In 1939, at 79 years, Mucha, ill, undergoes an interrogation by the Gestapo. He dies a few weeks later, ten days before his birthday.

“Choose another profession where you will be more useful.” (That is the given reason to his rejected application to enter the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague in 1878)

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