Alphonse Mucha. The Seduction of Art Nouveau.

Alphonse Mucha was born in Ivancice, Czech Republic, in 1860. A fervent patriot and supporter of the political freedom of the Slavic peoples, he devoted himself to art and in 1887 moved to Paris where he refined his arts and met the woman who would change his life forever, Sarah Bernhardt, the most beautiful and famous actress of the time, who entrusted Mucha with her image, making him hugely popular.

The myth of "Mucha's women" was born, and companies vied with him to advertise their products, resulting in the timeless advertising campaigns such as that of Nestlé chocolate, Moët & Chandon champagne, and even cigarettes, beer, cookies, and perfume. Mucha, however, did not forget his patriotic and social commitment. In 1910 he returned to Prague and devoted nearly twenty years to what is considered his greatest masterpiece, the Slavic Epic, a colossal work consisting of twenty huge canvases in which he recounted the main events of Slavic history. Mucha died in Prague in 1939.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries Paris was considered the center of the art world. It is the so-called Belle Époque, there is great enthusiasm, and Alphonse Mucha, thanks in part to his meeting with Sara Bernhardt, becomes the most famous and disputed artist of the time. His works, illustrations, theater posters, and nascent advertising are accessible to all. A new form of communication was born with him: the beauty of flowering maidens, portrayed in a unique blend of the sacred and the profane, voluptuous and seductive figures, depicted in a unique compositional style, became characteristic of the famous "Mucha style." His images immediately became world famous, his style was the most imitated, the powerful beauty of his women entered everyone's collective imagination.

It is to this great artist that Arthemisia and the Museo degli Innocenti dedicate the next major Florentine exhibition. Under the patronage of the City of Florence and the Embassy of the Czech Republic, the exhibition is organized in collaboration with the Mucha Foundation and In Your Event by Cristoforo and is curated by Tomoko Sato with the collaboration of Francesca Villanti.

The exhibition has as sponsors Generali Valore Cultura, partners Mercato Centrale Firenze, I Gigli, Samsonite and Unicoop Firenze, mobility partner Frecciarossa Treno Ufficiale, media partner QN La Nazione, educational partner Laba and technical support Mucha Trail and Prague City Tourism.