Muchovo Muzeum

Alfons Mucha (1860-1939)

There's a great little museum in the center of Old Town Square featuring the work of Alfons Mucha. It wasn't until I visited that I realized the extent of Mucha's work. Most people recognize his famous posters of beautiful women with flowing hair adorned with flowers, but I hadn't realized he also created designs for champagne, cigarette papers, stamps, even Czech monetary notes. I visited the museum recently and was busy taking photographs without realizing there was a "no photos" sign posted until my friend gave me a nudge. Oops! Too late, the deed was done and now I am posting the best of what I got.

Mucha was actually from Moravia although many people believe he was French. He really hit fame and fortune when he designed a poster advertising Sarah Bernhardt's Gismonda in 1895 and Paris became home for many years. He later returned to his native land and got involved in a series of important projects including the design of the stained-glass window in St. Vitus Cathedral along with his major contribution to the Municipal House which is entirely Art Nouveau. I read somewhere that he actually wanted to do more, but his fellow artists were jealous and he had to curb his enthusiasm.

Mucha apparently died a few days after a brutal interrogation by the Gestapo shortly after they occupied the city. It's a sad ending to an amazing career but how lucky we are that his work is beautifully featured in the country he loved.