ROME.- Palazzo Bonaparte – now an essential venue for major art exhibitions in Italy – transforms into the temple of Art Nouveau, presenting the most comprehensive retrospective ever dedicated to Alphonse Mucha (Ivančice, July 24, 1860 – Prague, July 14, 1939), Czech artist and undisputed father and master of that refined and sensual style that has revolutionized the visual imagination across time.
The exhibition, with a selection of over 150 works, is a journey through the entire oeuvre of Mucha, showcasing all his masterpieces (including Gismonda, 1894; Médée, 1898; JOB, 1896; the Stars series from 1902; the Precious Stones series from 1900; and studies for the Slav Epic) from the Mucha Museum in Prague. It also expands the perspective to highlight the importance and centrality of beauty in the history of art.
On display, in fact, are also extraordinary archaeological and Renaissance works, masterpieces of the 19th century like the elegant Countess De Rasty (1879) by Boldini, leading up to the 20th century with the sumptuous Semiramis (In Babylon), 1905, by Saccaggi.
Adding to the exhibition are furnishings, Art Nouveau objects, and much more: an unprecedented dialogue that sheds new light on Mucha from fresh perspectives, revealing the continuity of the ideal of feminine beauty through time.
Guest of honor at the exhibition is Botticelli’s Venus (1485–1490), exceptionally loaned by the Musei Reali – Galleria Sabauda in Turin — a perfect embodiment of the concept of beauty and seduction.
Venus, icon and global symbol of timeless charm, establishes an ideal bridge between Renaissance art and Art Nouveau.
This 15th-century masterpiece, recently the subject of in-depth diagnostic studies, enters into a surprising dialogue with Mucha’s female figures, revealing how the ideal of beauty has continued through the centuries with extraordinary consistency.
At Palazzo Bonaparte, Mucha is presented through his famous theatrical posters, decorative panels, calendars, and illustrations — all witnesses to an era in which art merged with daily life, enriching every gesture.
But above all, Mucha is the artist who reinvented the image of women in art, transforming it into an icon of grace and strength, the undisputed protagonist of a decorative language — full of flowers, soft lines, and dreamlike atmospheres — that continues to inspire fashion, graphic design, and contemporary aesthetics, even influencing the world of modern tattoos, where his imagery has become one of the most popular and requested themes worldwide.
Mucha was far more than an artist. He was an innovator, a visual communicator capable of giving a seductive and recognizable form to the imagination of the Belle Époque.
His famous advertising posters — such as those for Sarah Bernhardt, or for perfumes and Parisian liqueurs — not only popularized graphic art, but transformed the visual language of his time, anticipating the principles of modern design.
The Mucha woman, with her flowing lines, cascading hair, sheer garments, and the natural elements surrounding her, became the universal icon of Art Nouveau femininity — a movement that revolutionized applied arts and aesthetic vision at the turn of the 20th century.
The exhibition “Alphonse Mucha. A Triumph of Beauty and Seduction” does more than trace the evolution of Mucha’s style: it invites visitors to step into his world, recreating the vibrant atmosphere of his era.
The exhibition design will be an immersive experience, where spaces, lighting, scents, music, and colors will guide visitors through a true journey through time, transporting them back into the past.
Alongside the artist’s works, the public will also admire furniture, jewels, design objects, photographs, and archival materials, in an immersive journey through elegance, nature, and symbolism — where every detail, whether visual, auditory, or tactile, will help evoke the enchantment of an era that made art an integral part of life.
La donna di Mucha, con le sue linee flessuose, i capelli fluenti, le vesti leggere e gli elementi naturali che la circondano, è diventata l’icona universale della femminilità Art Nouveau, movimento che ha rivoluzionato le arti applicate e la visione estetica tra fine Ottocento e inizio Novecento.
“In celebrating the 25th anniversary of Arthemisia, we felt both the duty and the desire,” says Iole Siena, President of Arthemisia, “to pay tribute to women and to feminine beauty — themes that have always run through the history of art with grace, strength, and depth. We chose to do so in a symbolic place, now recognized as a temple of major art exhibitions, offering the public a unique, powerful, and emotionally rich experience. I am certain that this exhibition will touch the souls of visitors, leaving an indelible mark on their eyes and their hearts.”
Palazzo Bonaparte, in the heart of Rome, once again affirms itself as one of the symbolic venues of international art.
Following extraordinarily successful exhibitions dedicated to Monet, Escher, Van Gogh, and Munch — all of which drew record numbers of visitors — it now hosts an unmissable event celebrating the grace and strength of an artist whose work still resonates with our time.
