At a Glance

The Mucha Museum occupies Kaunický palác near Wenceslas Square in Prague's New Town. Founded in 1998 by the artist's grandson John Mucha, it is the only permanent museum in the world devoted to the life and work of Alphonse Mucha (1860–1939), the defining figure of Art Nouveau.

From Paris Posters to the Slav Epic

Mucha was born in Moravian Ivančice and studied in Munich and Paris. A Christmas-week poster for Sarah Bernhardt's Gismonda (1894) made him an overnight sensation. Two decades of posters, illustrations, and jewellery design followed—until he returned home in 1910 and spent twenty years on the twenty-canvas Slav Epic. The museum tracks both identities side by side.

Highlights

• Sarah Bernhardt posters — Gismonda, La Dame aux Camélias, Médée, Tosca.
• "Job" cigarette advertisement, the textbook Art Nouveau poster.
• Decorative panels — the Four Seasons and The Stars at original wall scale.
• Personal photography and sketchbooks, including Mucha's own photographs of his models.
• Slav Epic documentation — the canvases themselves rotate between Prague's Veletržní Palace and Moravský Krumlov, shown here in film and reduced reproductions.

Visiting Tips

Five minutes' walk from Muzeum or Můstek metro. Budget 40–60 minutes; a 30-minute bilingual documentary screens on loop. Admission around 300 CZK, with a separate permit for photography. Pair with Prague Castle, Old Town, and Wenceslas Square for a half-day circuit. For the actual Slav Epic canvases, add the Veletržní Palace or Moravský Krumlov to your itinerary.