Appleton Museum to Open Exhibition of Art Nouveau by Alphonse Mucha

The 75 piece “Alphonse Mucha: Master of Art Nouveau,” exhibition will be on view Nov. 6, 2021-Jan. 9, 2022. Selected from The Dhawan Collection in Los Angeles, it is one of the finest private collections of Alphonse Mucha’s work in the United States. Mucha is most often remembered for the prominent role he played in shaping the aesthetics of French Art Nouveau at the turn of the 20th century.

Included in the exhibition are rare original lithographs and proofs, an oil painting, drawings, a pastel, and books, posters, portfolios and ephemera. The exhibition is curated by esteemed art historian Gabriel Weisberg, professor of Art History, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, who has provided an essay for the exhibition catalog. Weisberg writes, “In 1900, when the widely distributed French periodical Art et Décoration published a long and exhaustive article on the work of Alphonse Mucha (1860–1939), the Czechoslovakian artist was at the pinnacle of his creative powers. Varied, expressive, and seductive, his works were given the name “the Mucha style”; later the style was identified as “Art Nouveau.”

Mucha’s successes in many fields of creativity are revealed in the exhibition, dedicated to the broad range of his work. The exhibition focuses on posters, book and journal illustrations, the Slav Epic canvases, and the ways Mucha revitalized an interest in these media.  It provides an opportunity to see how the different media, clients and objectives reflect the time period in which the artist lived and worked.

“Mucha’s ability to understand the major creative themes of the day, to use them in the most original ways possible, and to create works of art that remain seductive for future generations, is truly his great triumph,” said Weisberg. With objects drawn from the extensive Dhawan Collection, and with the publication of this catalog, the exhibition provides a new, original way of seeing one of the most prolific creators of fin-de-siècle imagery.

The exhibition and museum tour were organized by Landau Traveling Exhibitions, Los Angeles.

Upcoming Exhibition Events:

Director’s Circle and VIP Opening Reception

Friday, Nov. 5, 6-8 p.m.

Appleton Director’s Circle members are invited for a reception and to be the first to see “Alphonse Mucha: Master of Art Nouveau.” Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served. RSVP required to Colleen Harper, harperc@cf.edu, or 352-291-4455, ext. 1831.

Online Exhibition Talk with Angelina Lippert “The Art Nouveau Posters of Alphonse Mucha”

Sunday, Dec. 12, 2 p.m.

Learn more about Alphonse Mucha and his iconic posters in this free online talk by Angelina Lippert, chief curator of Poster House in New York City. Poster House is the first museum in the United States dedicated exclusively to posters. There is no fee or registration required to attend.

Meeting ID: 939 8382 6915

Passcode: 011181

The Appleton Museum, Artspace and Store are open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. A campus of the College of Central Florida, the Appleton Museum of Art is located at 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, east of downtown on SR 40 (exit 352 east off I-75 or exit 268 west off I-95). Parking is free. For more information, call 352-291-4455 or visit AppletonMuseum.org.