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China's First Major Mucha Exhibition Opens in Shanghai, and It's Breathtakingly Beautiful

There's no better season than springtime to appreciate Alphonse Mucha, the man who surrounded his voluptuous women with branches and flowers. In his artwork, that is. Born in Moravia, the prolific Cze...
2019-04-01 16:26:20
Photos: Jin Qian

There's no better season than springtime to appreciate Alphonse Mucha, the man who surrounded his voluptuous women with branches and flowers. In his artwork, that is. Born in Moravia, the prolific Czech graphic artist thrived while he lived in Paris, becoming a definitive figure of Art Nouveau and helping to close the gap between "high art" and "low art". His sensual posters, exquisite jewelry, and various forms of decorative designs are now on display at the Pearl Art Museum until July 21.

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Curated by Mucha Foundation's Tomoko Sato and and Pearl Art Museum's executive director Li Dandan, visitors are offered a panoramic view of Mucha's life: from the archetypical starving artist to the toast of the Parisian art scene, to the trend-setter of "art for the masses," to the philosopher and mystic who cared deeply for the Slavic people and their culture.

The extensive exhibition brings together over 200 pieces of artwork and personal belongings from the Mucha family collection, and it's the first time a major Mucha exhibition has ever been hosted in China. It is hyped. It lives up to the hype.

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Through a range of originals and digital displays of his decorative art, as well as documentary works, this Mucha exhibition is comprehensive. It drew a big crowd of millennials the first day it opened, who turned their cameraphones on the amazing details of the displays rather than themselves for a change. Mucha: still captivating audiences in the 21st century. It's quite a long trip out from the city center, but the exhibition is definitely worth checking out.

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Mucha runs until July 21 at Pearl Art Museum, tickets are 120rmb per person. The museum closes on Mondays, and opens at 10am-7pm from Tuesday to Friday, 10am-10pm on Saturday and Sunday.

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