Mucha

by Renate Ulmer, Edyta Tomczyk (Translator)

Though Alfons Mucha (1960-1939) achieved lasting international acclaim as an Art Nouveau painter, graphic designer, and decorator, his photography is not as well known. In this new, expanded edition produced in cooperation with the Mucha Trust, an intimate and accomplished photographer is revealed. A kind of sketchbook and personal visual diary, this record of captured moments from the mid-1880s until the end of the artist's life illuminates both Mucha's career as an artist and the time in which he lived. In addition, the behind-the-scenes glimpses of his studio prove that Mucha--a key creator of the ideal of Art Nouveau beauty--was one of the pioneers of the classic nude in Czech photography. For lay readers and photographic connoisseurs alike, this volume illuminates a unique and powerful artistic vision.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Art History, Biography, History, Reference, Art Design

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Renate Ulmer was an art historian and the former deputy director of the Mathildenhöhe Institute in Darmstadt.
She was born in Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany in 1957. She passed away in 2023.

Reviews

[sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bring mucha-esque advertising back!! In that case I would be pro-consumerism :)

The way he drew clothes??? I want them so bad! He understood the female gaze TOO WELL

And he was obsessed about being slav?? Me too!

[Jennifer Lafferty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book includes a beautiful selection pictures; featuring most if not all of Mucha's most famous work. There is a good variety of posters versus ads, versus drawings and studies. The book offers interesting commentary on individual works and well-researched background info on Mucha himself. Another interesting aspect is the inclusion of photographs of some of the models who posed for Mucha's illustrations. "Alponse Mucha 1860-1939: Master of Art Nouveau" is a great book for fans of Mucha who mainly want a book featuring his artwork as opposed to a biography.

[V. · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I love Mucha, this book is just too short to do any justice to him as an artist. The text is short and shallow. The choice of the artwork is nice, but the colours poor. If you are really interested in Mucha's work, go for another book.

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alfons Mucha will be forever one of my favorite artists and I've loved to use some elements of his in my own artwork.
This book has a short introduction to his work and a small biography in the back. The pictures are well chosen and, as others have said, the book is mostly limited by its size. I would've wished for more personal information on the artist and more in depth analysis of his work, but other than that it's a good and short read that may serve as a basic introduction to Mucha.

[Haunt]

Il ricordo di un bellissimo viaggio a Praga. Vi lascio l'indirizzo se vi capitasse di passare da quelle parti:

Mucha Museum
Kaunický palác
Panská 7
110 00 Prague 1

The Mucha Museum Opening Hours:
daily 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

[Justin Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great summary of Mucha's work. Limited only by it's small format.

[Fez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had absolutely no clue about Mucha or his Work before, so this was the perfect collection for me! But this might not offer much for someone who's already familiar with him.

I really fell in love with the artwork and I'm definite not stopping here with Mucha!

I really liked the artwork about the four seasons, the ads for cigarettes (I love the way he painted the smoke!), Smaragd and the four paintings about the times of a day.
Although, I liked most of it and there was barely anything I disliked. But that's probably because this collection seems to have his most popular works.

[Avedon Arcadio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes it’s short and small but it paints (no pun intended) a nice portrait of his milestones and exploits in his career. This brief history lesson features some interesting and noteworthy facts that would easily amuse and educate the most casual of fans.
A nice primer of sorts to get people interested in searching more of his works and story.

[Sovdv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Le livre informatif présente dans un premier temps une biographie succincte de l’artiste Mucha, que j’adore, puis expose ses œuvres principales accompagnées d’un bref paragraphe explicatif. Livre très instructif.

[Wera ▪︎°☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dobór dzieł artysty bardzo fajny, ale tekstu jest niezwykle mało, przez co wszystkie wątki poruszone są pobieżnie. Na początek i zapoznanie się z Alfonsem Muchą idealnie, ale nie żeby jakoś bardziej zagłębić się w jego twórczość.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

얇고 그림 위주이지만, 나같은 입문자가 원하는 수준이다. 아주 알차게 읽었음.

[JoséMaría BlancoWhite · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice book. Mucha's life though goes South in interest as his nationalist sentiment lead him in the choice of subject matter. It's another instance that shows that art must never marry politics.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful book and high quality prints on each page. Found at a thrift store. Knew nothing about Mucha, and now I know Mucha more about him.

[Cara Lorena 🧜🏼‍♀️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lieblingskünstler, tolle Bilder aber nicht viel Text über ihn selbst.

[parisimo · Rating 4 out of 5]

very straight to the point, so many good pictures of his paintings and photographs

[༺♡༻ İpek ༺♡༻ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could be more detailed. Loved the quality of the paper and the language style.

[Hilde Helseth · Rating 4 out of 5]

'A book related to the arts'

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Alfons Mucha 1860-1939: Master of Art Nouveau" (1993) by german Dr. Renate Ulmer.

By coincidence i found a book about my favorite artist. And i was not disappointed.

The book covers the timeline of his life and artistic career while showcasing and describing some of his masterpieces. I will return to this book so many times from now on.



The only critique i can come with is that i wish than it could have featured a complete list of his works and showcased even more (it is a short book after all, it could have been longer).

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Por muchos años he sido admiradora de Alfons Mucha, comenzando por una de sus obras conocidas “Las Estaciones” que me cautivó totalmente por sus tonos y sus formas, no había visto algo igual antes en toda mi vida en ningún otro cuadro de cualquier artista y mi curiosidad aumentó. Poco a poco encontré más obras de Mucha que admirar y que conseguir. Actualmente en mi habitación tengo Daydream (1897) y Zodiac (1896). Pero Mucha fue mucho más que un pintor de obras o carteles publicitarios, como los famosos carteles del Theatre De La Renaissance de Sarah Bernhardt. Fue uno de los máximos exponentes del Art Nouveau, un creador, un diseñador y un visionario. Este libro nos permite conocerlo desde sus primeros pasos artísticamente hasta la culminación de su carrera, lejos del París que lo vio surgir, sino en su natal Checoslovaquia.
Personalmente este pequeño libro fue una gran educación sobre arte y sobre cómo veía las cosas y al mismo tiempo, los cambios que estaban ocurriendo en una sociedad donde el arte tomaba mayor fuerza en un área muy poco explorada, la publicidad. Aún en medio de la lectura de Cleopatra (que aún no termino), no pude evitar dejarlo de lado para envolverme en el singular mundo del Art Nouveau.

[Sarai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though Alfons Mucha (1860-1939) achieved lasting international acclaim as an Art Nouveau painter, graphic designer, and decorator, his outstanding photography is not as well known. His photographic sketchbook and personal visual diary, comprising photographs from the mid-1880s until the end of his life, constitutes a unique and profound artistic statement. This mosaic of captured moments reveals the intimate and personal basis of both Mucha's own life as an artist and the time period in which he lived. The behind-the-scenes glimpses of his studio provided here prove that Mucha--the creator of the ideal of Art Nouveau beauty--was one of the pioneers of the classic nude in Czech photography. This is the first time such a large selection of Mucha's extensive photographic work has been assembled as a book. Many of the photos in this book, never before published, reveal hitherto unknown aspects of Mucha's work, which will be of interest to the general reader and the photographic connoisseur alike.

Alphonse Mucha is one of my all-time favorite artists. I have his stuff all over my kitchen and I always get one of his wall calendars. Love his stuff. Great book.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Taschen introduction. Great color reproductions. Slim on the content, but really allows the reader to read the pictures more and appreciate Mucha's talents, in line, in form, in lettering and design. A beautiful, inexpensive book.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

The brilliance of Mucha is done a grave disservice by the small format and poor book design. That said, it is nice as a quick reference of his work, with slim biographical information, with a few glimpses into his sketchbook and model photos.

[Betty]

A wonderful discourse on the times and the influences that formed Alfons Mucha, with many examples of his sculptural work that I had not encountered before. It was a gift from a friend who truly knows what I like! :D

[German Chaparro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice, although the colors were a bit on the dim side. The layout was very similar to the M. C. Escher book from the same Taschen collection.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good as a quick read and for pictures. Otherwise, you'd be better off with another book.

[Lady Entropy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Small, but packed with good quality reproductions of the better known (and prettier) illustrations of Mucha's Art Noveau. Recommended as an a gateways for Mucha's work.

[Lysergius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated introduction to the work of Alfons Mucha.

[Γιώργος Μπελαούρης · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful
but these editions are always an one-hour read for me
glad there are the ''big ones'' that i can get lost to

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

very little information on the artists. Other books offer the same information in more detail.