ALPHONSE MARIE MUCHA (1860-1939)

Alphonse Mucha, a Czech active in Paris around 1900, was the most successful poster artist of his era and a key and highly influential exponent of Art Nouveau. He published his Documents Décoratifs, for which this image is a preliminary study, as a source book for his enthusiastic audience and followers. Mucha's principal subject was the female figure, often adorned with stylised flowers. A gifted draftsman, he worked from life but also from photographs that he staged and executed himself. These were for personal use and not for trade and very few vintage prints have found their way on to the market.