Painter, set designer, graphic designer, interior architect, and even art teacher… Alphonse Mucha’s life mirrors his work: rich, extraordinary, and daring. This is precisely what this new exhibition aims to convey through this unique immersion into the world of this multifaceted artist, an exceptional celebrator of feminine charm and beauty. On display, no fewer than 90 original works ( posters, drawings, paintings) await visitors on a journey that weaves together theater, nature, cultural identity, photography, and the early days of modern advertising.
4 September 2026 10:00 + more dates
90 original works by the artist, brought together for the first time in Lyon
It took all the prestige and grandeur of the Grand-Hôtel-Dieu to do justice to the work of Alphonse Mucha. This September, a new space in the heart of one of the most beautiful buildings in the capital of Gaul will host an exhibition that is already shaping up to be the cultural highlight of the fall season. Through more than 90 original works brought together for the first time in Lyon, the exhibition brings to life the unique world of the visionary that was Mucha.
In total, six sections await visitors. Beyond a simple chronological timeline, the figure of the woman serves as the exhibition’s central theme, exploring her role at the intersection of desire, symbolism, and modernity. Immersive installations complement the exhibition, offering the public additional perspectives on the works. Visitors leave captivated, charmed, and above all, deeply moved by the work of Mucha, one of the major figures in European figurative art at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The 1,001 Lives of Alphonse Mucha
Mucha’s life began in Moravia in 1860. After spending time in Vienna, Munich, and then Italy, he settled in Paris in the midst of a cultural revolution at the end of the 19th century. Theaters, cabarets, World’s Fairs, as well as the dawn of photography and cinema… The capital was buzzing with excitement. This context would profoundly transform Mucha’s artistic vision. He met Sarah Bernhardt, then the greatest star of the era. Their collaboration would represent a major facet of his work, giving rise to the myth of the “Mucha style.”
His work, visionary for its time, would give rise to the aptly named Art Nouveau, one of the most significant artistic movements since the Renaissance. Innovative in substance, he was equally so in form: Mucha meticulously studied the mechanisms of visual perception to develop theories on the art of enchanting and captivating the public… Modern advertising was born.
His success continued to grow, leading him to travel extensively, particularly to the United States, the “promised land” of the 20th century. But Mucha would return to his roots, his Slavic homeland. He dedicated a significant portion of his work to this final chapter of his life, which would end in 1939 at the onset of the war.
Alphonse Mucha
4 September 2026 10:00 + more dates
