Alphonse Mucha – Master of Art Nouveau

This copy of Alphonse Mucha – Master of Art Nouveau, by Victor Arwas contains 80 pages of a tribute to the life and works of Alphonse Mucha, but its value lies more in its tribute to the art of fine bookmaking. The book, which measures approximately 8 ½ inches wide by 12 inches tall by ½ inch thick, was designed and bound for the seller by Jarmila Sobota, whose name appears in the lower corner of the rear cover pastedown. The book is hard bound in beige leather covered boards, with the front cover decorated with hand marbled paper and the initials A M, standing for Alphonse Mucha. The inside front and rear covers, as well as te free end papers, are also decorated in a similar marbled paper. The book is contained within a burgundy clamshell box, lined with red velvet, with illustrations of Mucha's work on front and back. The book's title has been added to the front illustration. The book is in as new condition. The clamshell box shows some indications of wear along the bottom edges of the spine and its corners, and is in near fine condition.

The book was published in 1985 in the United States by St. Martin's Press of New York, and was printed and bound in Hong Kong. It has an ISBN number of 0-312-02141–0. The book contains a 10-page textual description of the life and works of Alphonse Mucha by Victor Arwas, followed by the 64-page section titled "The Colour Plates". In this last section appear 47 full color prints, accompanied by short descriptions of each.

The illustrations accompanying this description show the Front Face of the Clamshell Box, the book lying in the open clamshell box, the Marbled End Papers of the book, a 2-page spread showing the first page of Victor Arwas' article and Mucha's photo, and a typical 2-page spread of colored plates.

Alfons Maria Mucha (24 July 1860 – 14 July 1939), known internationally as Alphonse Mucha, was a Czech painter, illustrator, and graphic artist, living in Paris during the Art Nouveau period, widely known for his distinctly stylized and decorative theatrical posters, particularly those of Sarah Bernhardt. He produced illustrations, advertisements, decorative panels, as well as designs, which became among the best-known images of the period. [Wikipedia]