Alfons Mucha is known largely for having originated Art Nouveau, when his poster of the actress Sarah Bernhardt became a legendary icon of the movement. Mucha went on to design hundreds of pieces in the decorative arts field, but later distanced himself from the style he pioneered, devoting his time and energy to painting. This book presents the full array of Mucha's artistic contributions-not only his posters and jewelry designs but also his design for the pavilion of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the 1900 World's Fair. The book also includes his works on canvas, which include pastels and frescoes, and his magnum opus, The Slavic Epic, a series of 20 paintings depicting the history of his native people. A stunning selection of 700 color illustrations is accompanied with essays that explore Mucha's style and inspirations, his transition away from the decorative arts, and his forays into photography. Fans of Art Nouveau will treasure this dazzling and unique study of the artist and his contributions to design and illustration.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From the Inside Flap
Alfons Mucha is known largely for having originated Art Nouveau, when his poster of the actress Sarah Bernhardt became a legendary icon of the movement. Mucha went on to design hundreds of pieces in the decorative arts field, but later distanced himself from the style he pioneered, devoting his time and energy to painting. This book presents the full array of Mucha's artistic contributions-not only his posters and jewelry designs but also his design for the pavilion of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the 1900 World's Fair.
About the Author
AGNES HUSSLEIN-ARCO is Director of the Belvedere Museum in Vienna. JEAN LOUIS GAILLEMIN is a professor of art history at the Sorbonne in Paris and curator of the exhibition "Alphonse Mucha". MICHEL HILAIRE is Director of the Musee Fabre in Montpellier. CHRISTIANE LANGE is Director of the Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung in Munich.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
46 of 51 people found the following review helpful
By R. Haas
I have studied Mucha for over 40 years. This is without a doubt the very most user unfriendly catalog I have ever seen. The images in this heavy (5 lbs!) tome are printed in lurid colors,(some almost "day-Glow") and a chopped up format that destroys any understanding of Mucha's works. The designers of the book seem to have thought that they were being clever by using overlapping illustrations, so that there is no artwork that is presented in a simple full images. The essays are written in dated academic double talk, and it is filled with errors and with repetitions of long ago disproved information. The book was published for the magnificent exhibition in Vienna last year. The exhibition was profoundly beautiful and overwhelming. I was very put off by this catalog,and only bought it to obtain the scant few unknown images to add to my collection. I challenge anyone to use this book for a few minutes without becoming uncomfortable..the weight alone makes using it a sheer torture .(This applies to the paperback edition as well) Robert H.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By Mark Roland
Amazon Verified Purchase
Alphonse Mucha is one of the most loved artists of the last hundred years for good reason. He was a complete master of graphic design, his posters and period advertisements are now synonymous with the Art Nouveau movement. The graceful line, and elegant arrangement of shapes and colors compel art lovers even more now, than they did his intended audience, through their continual reproduction and publication.
This book really features an artist less known and appreciated. While it includes a generous selection of posters, book illustrations and related designs, the true focus of this volume is the work he did in the years after the peak of Art Nouveau, when he embarked on a vastly ambitious cycle of works relating the history of the Slav people. For these works were monumental in scale as well as conception, and he spent the decades after his Paris fame engaged in their creation.
Here we have Mucha as a painter and muralist, the power of his design skills are put to a different purpose than the promotion of events and products. The illustrations in this book are excellent, and short of a visit to the Czech Republic, are the best look most of us will have of the encyclopedic depiction of figures and landscapes that comprise the Epic. It is a grand vision, one that is often tragic portrayed here, yet as beautiful in its way as the familiar Sarah Bernhardt posters. There is a new, subtle and melancholy use of color in the murals and tonality often replaces the linear crispness of his graphic style. These works may not be as accessible to some, but have a rich and solemn genius.
This volume does not gloss over the earlier works by any means, his jewelry, photography and other less known illustrations are here too. If you are only interested in the Paris period of his work, this might not be the best single book for you, others cover that in great detail. For an overview of his entire output, however, this is a very valuable resource, lavishly and lovingly produced, it makes a great addition to the library of any art lover.
This book really features an artist less known and appreciated. While it includes a generous selection of posters, book illustrations and related designs, the true focus of this volume is the work he did in the years after the peak of Art Nouveau, when he embarked on a vastly ambitious cycle of works relating the history of the Slav people. For these works were monumental in scale as well as conception, and he spent the decades after his Paris fame engaged in their creation.
Here we have Mucha as a painter and muralist, the power of his design skills are put to a different purpose than the promotion of events and products. The illustrations in this book are excellent, and short of a visit to the Czech Republic, are the best look most of us will have of the encyclopedic depiction of figures and landscapes that comprise the Epic. It is a grand vision, one that is often tragic portrayed here, yet as beautiful in its way as the familiar Sarah Bernhardt posters. There is a new, subtle and melancholy use of color in the murals and tonality often replaces the linear crispness of his graphic style. These works may not be as accessible to some, but have a rich and solemn genius.
This volume does not gloss over the earlier works by any means, his jewelry, photography and other less known illustrations are here too. If you are only interested in the Paris period of his work, this might not be the best single book for you, others cover that in great detail. For an overview of his entire output, however, this is a very valuable resource, lavishly and lovingly produced, it makes a great addition to the library of any art lover.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By monster
I would like to give this book an unbiased rating, but this whole star system makes it impossible. What I expect/want from a Mucha book is just personal preference, but this book was not spectacular nor is it terrible.
For the first 1/5th of the book, it was a very lengthy biography. Whether it is accurate or interesting, I can't say because I didn't read it myself since I checked this out from the library before toying with the idea of buying the book. There were about three to six images to accompany the text, but the sizes range from 2 x 3inches to 3 x 4inches, which is not very big, considering how I like to see the image in full detail. For 1/8th of the book, it shows the popular prints/posters Mucha is known for, the majority of them covering the entire page. A few images are accompanied with sketches/studies (some I've never seen before) Mucha did before producing the final product while others have paragraphs of background information.
About 1/5th of the book has his oil paintings, many of which I have never seen before, most which do not have the typical style Mucha is known for (abstract organic lines, incorporation of nature, pastels... just think of his poster works). It also has background information and sketches/studies like the popular pieces section I mentioned earlier. The rest of the book has an even amount of images in regards to his photography, sketches, and non 2D related mediums. In the back is a listing of the images shown through out the book, with the the title, size, medium, date, so on and so forth, then there are about 6 pages of thumbnails not shown in the book with their descriptions. They're so tiny (about 2 x 1.5 inches big) you can't see any of the detail. I guess if you want to say that you've seen it and acknowledge its existence, it could be useful, but other than that, I don't know why you would even bother.
So, in summary, this is a very image heavy book, and show cases a portfolio with a variety of mediums Mucha mastered in. If you're looking for a book with novel Mucha pieces, this book is it! But if you're looking for iconic Mucha pieces, look elsewhere.
For the first 1/5th of the book, it was a very lengthy biography. Whether it is accurate or interesting, I can't say because I didn't read it myself since I checked this out from the library before toying with the idea of buying the book. There were about three to six images to accompany the text, but the sizes range from 2 x 3inches to 3 x 4inches, which is not very big, considering how I like to see the image in full detail. For 1/8th of the book, it shows the popular prints/posters Mucha is known for, the majority of them covering the entire page. A few images are accompanied with sketches/studies (some I've never seen before) Mucha did before producing the final product while others have paragraphs of background information.
About 1/5th of the book has his oil paintings, many of which I have never seen before, most which do not have the typical style Mucha is known for (abstract organic lines, incorporation of nature, pastels... just think of his poster works). It also has background information and sketches/studies like the popular pieces section I mentioned earlier. The rest of the book has an even amount of images in regards to his photography, sketches, and non 2D related mediums. In the back is a listing of the images shown through out the book, with the the title, size, medium, date, so on and so forth, then there are about 6 pages of thumbnails not shown in the book with their descriptions. They're so tiny (about 2 x 1.5 inches big) you can't see any of the detail. I guess if you want to say that you've seen it and acknowledge its existence, it could be useful, but other than that, I don't know why you would even bother.
So, in summary, this is a very image heavy book, and show cases a portfolio with a variety of mediums Mucha mastered in. If you're looking for a book with novel Mucha pieces, this book is it! But if you're looking for iconic Mucha pieces, look elsewhere.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Master of Art Nouveau!
Always loved Mucha style, and this book came really filled with lots of amazing arts from him. Extremely recommended !!!
Published 2 months ago by Gureiduson
4.0 out of 5 stars
It is great
This is perhaps the best Mucha book out there for the mass-market. It has a lot in it, and is very thick. Colossal really. Read more
Published on February 18, 2010 by miles
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well worth the price
I bought this book about a month ago and I have to say that it is an amazing deal for the $40 that amazon charges for it. Worth every penny. Read more
Published on January 15, 2010 by Max del Mar
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