Alphonse Mucha

Alphonse Mucha was a Czech Art Nouveau painter. Throughout his life, he produced paintings, posters, advertisements, and book illustrations, as well as designs for jewelry, carpets, wallpaper, and theatre sets in what was termed initially The Mucha Style. His varied output was united by his desire to create art that builds bridges between people, regardless of their backgrounds, and has the capacity to touch anybody anywhere and enrich their lives. He primarily worked on decorative painting jobs in Moravia and Vienna. He moved to Paris in 1887 to continue his studies at Académie Julian and Académie Colarossi while also producing magazine and advertising illustrations.

Later, Mucha produced a flurry of paintings, posters, advertisements, and book illustrations, as well as designs for jewelry, carpets, wallpaper, and theatre sets in what was initially called the Mucha Style but became known as Art Nouveau (French for 'new art'). The 1900 Universal Exhibition in Paris spread the "Mucha style" internationally.