Charlie and I truly enjoyed this small museum that was right acrosss from our hotel in Prague.
Alphonse Mucha was born in 1860 in the small Moravian town of Ivančice.
He rose to international fame in fin-de-siècle Paris with his elegant designs for theatre posters for Sarah Bernhardt, the most famous French actress of the time.
In 1904, when Mucha visited the United States for the first time,
he was hailed as ‘the greatest decorative artist in the world, becoming one of the earliest artists to gain international acclaim in both Europe and America.
In 1939 Germany invaded Czechoslovakia.
As the national artist, Mucha was among the first to be arrested and interrogated by the Nazis.
Although he was allowed to return home after questioning, his spirit was broken and he died on 14th July 1939.
Despite the Nazis ordering that only his immediate family could attend,
over a hundred thousand Czechs turned up to his funeral – due testament to Alphonse Mucha, artist of the people.