Umbrella Carré Delos Aurillac "Les quatre saisons" by Mucha

The arist's biography

Alfons Maria Mucha (1860-1939)

Mucha, a Czech painter and a pioneer of Art Nouveau

In 1879, he worked in Vienna for the largest stage set company, while continuing to train as an artist. In 1881, he returned to his native region in Moravia, where he worked on stage sets and portraits as an independent artist. In 1887, he went to Paris where he continued his studies, produced a magazine and created advertising posters, (Lefèvre-Utile, Moët et Chandon, etc.). He was hired by the Renaissance theatre from 1894 to 1900, where he created the posters for shows and gained a certain reputation for his style. After spending a few years in the United States, he returned to Prague and was put in charge of decoration for the National Theatre, the city hall and other monuments. After World War I and the independence of Czechoslovakia, he contributed to the renaissance of his country by creating postage stamps, bank notes and other official documents. In the 1920s, he completed the major work of his life, a series of gigantic paintings on the history of the Slavs.

Mucha painted beautiful young women in neoclassical robes with flowing skirts, often crowned with flowers forming a halo over their heads. His style was quickly imitated, but without the beautiful, artistic touch that he alone managed to bring.