Art Nouveau

13 Most Beautiful Posters by Alphonse Mucha You Must Know

Zuzanna Stańska 14 July 2022 min Read

Alphonse Mucha’s distinctive style was called le style Mucha, becoming synonymous with the Art Nouveau style. His posters have a very long and slim line, subtle pastel colors and a halo-like circular shape around the main figure, resembling a stained glass window. We have chosen Mucha’s 13 eye-candy posters you must know. Enjoy!

Alphonse Mucha was born in 1860 in Moravia, today’s Czech Republic. The commission that brought him future fame came up in 1894 when Mucha was asked by a friend to create a poster for a theatrical production of Gismonda, played by the most famous Parisian actress of the time, Sarah Bernhardt. After this commission, Alphonse Mucha became one of the most popular poster designers.

1. Soap Factory of Bagnolet

Alphonse Mucha, Soap factory of Bagnolet, 1897
Alphonse Mucha, Soap factory of Bagnolet, 1897, private collection. WikiArt.

2. Biscuits Lefèvre-Utile

Alphonse Mucha, Biscuits Lefèvre-Utile, 1896, private collection.
Alphonse Mucha, Biscuits Lefèvre-Utile, 1896, private collection. Europeana. Detail.

3. Bières de la Meuse

Alphonse Mucha, Bières de la Meuse, 1897, Complesso del Vittoriano, Rome
Alphonse Mucha, Bières de la Meuse, 1897, Complesso del Vittoriano, Rome, Italy.

4. Job

Alphonse Mucha, Job Cigarettes, 1989, Victoria & Albert Museum
Alphonse Mucha, Job Cigarettes, 1989, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK.
You can read more about famous 19th century cigarette posters here.

5. Summer

Alfons Mucha, L'Été, 1900, private collection
Alfons Mucha, L’Été, 1900, private collection. Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

6. Painting

Alphonse Mucha, Painting, part of the series The Arts, 1898
Alphonse Mucha, The Arts series: Painting, 1898, private collection. Mucha Foundation.

7. Moët & Chandon Crémant Impérial

Alphonse Mucha, Moët&Chandon Crémant Impérial, 1899, private collection
Alphonse Mucha, Moët & Chandon Crémant Impérial, 1899, private collection. Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

8. Maude Adams as Joan of Arc

Alphonse Mucha, Maude Adams (1872–1953) as Joan of Arc, 1909, Metropolitan Museum of Art Posters of Alphonse Mucha
Alphonse Mucha, Maude Adams as Joan of Arc, 1909, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, USA.

9. F. Champenois Imprimeur-Éditeur

Alphonse Mucha, F. Champenois Imprimeur-Éditeur, 1897 Posters of Alphonse Mucha
Alphonse Mucha, F. Champenois Imprimeur-Éditeur, 1897, private collection. Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

10. Chocolat Idéal

Alphonse Mucha, Chocolat Ideal, 1897 Posters of Alphonse Mucha
Alphonse Mucha, Chocolat Ideal, 1897, Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
You can read about the history of chocolate in art here.

11. Medee

Alphonse Mucha, Medee, 1898, Museum of Modern Art, New York
Alphonse Mucha, Medee, 1898, Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, USA.

12. Sarah Bernhardt for “La Plume”

Alphonse Mucha, Sarah Bernhardt as La Princesse Lointaine: poster for La Plume Magazine, 1897, private collection.
Alphonse Mucha, Sarah Bernhardt as La Princesse Lointaine: poster for La Plume Magazine, 1897, private collection. Poster Foundry.

13. Princess Hyacinth

Alphonse Mucha, Princess Hyacinth, 1911, private collection.
Alphonse Mucha, Princess Hyacinth, 1911, private collection. Arthive.

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