Alphonse Mucha
(Czech, 1860-1939)
Gismonda, 1894
lithograph
81 1/2 x 27 1/2 inches.
Property from Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs, California. Sold to Support the Care of Collections and the Mary Silver Fund for Acquisitions

Literature:
Wagner 67

Provenance:Mary and Louis Silver French Art Poster CollectionBequest of Mary Silver, Palm Springs, California

Lot Notes:
This is Mucha's first poster, and the story of its creation is something of a fairy tale. on Christmas Day 1894, the printer Lemercier received a rush order from the Thea¢tre de la Renaissance; the theater required a poster advertising Sara Bernhardt's revival of the playGismonda by New Year's Day. With much of the staff away for the holiday, the desperate printer used the only artist available - Mucha, who until then had worked as a book illustrator. When the poster appeared, it became an instant sensation. For Mucha, it meant the beginning of a stellar career, as well as a life-long friendship with Bernhardt and a six-year (rather draconian) contract with the printer Champenois.

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