poster for 8th Sokol Festival, Alphonse Mucha

Artwork Overview

Alphonse Mucha, poster for 8th Sokol Festival
Alphonse Mucha, poster for 8th Sokol Festival
Alphonse Mucha
poster for 8th Sokol Festival
1925
Alphonse Mucha
1860–1939
poster for 8th Sokol Festival, 1925
Where object was made: Czechoslovakia (present-day Czech Republic or Slovakia)
Material/technique: color lithograph; gold; linen
Dimensions:
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 1219 x 826 mm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 48 0.9921 x 32 1/2 in
Frame Dimensions (Height x Width x Depth): 62 x 41 3/4 x 2 in
Weight (Weight): 32 lbs
Credit line: Museum purchase
Accession number: 1969.0057
Not on display
Add to portfolio

If you wish to reproduce this image, please submit an image request

Images

Label texts

Archive Label: The graphic works of Alphonse Mucha epitomize what we today think of as art nouveau; indeed, the artist literally wrote the book on the subject. His Documents Décoratifs became the definitive art nouveau text used by art schools for a generation. Mucha used feminine and floral subjects, elaborate ornamentation, and whiplash lines with a mastery that elevated his work beyond its commercial purpose. Mucha’s career was much advanced by his association with Sarah Bernhardt, the most famous actress of the time. During the Christmas rush, when no other designer could produce a poster for her, Bernhardt was forced to hire the then little-known Mucha. She was delighted with the results. Mucha’s work appealed to her decadent nature, and the artist became her favorite designer. For Bernhardt, Mucha produced not only posters, but designs for jewelry, stage sets, and costumes.