Lower Belvedere
12 February to 1 June 2009

In spring 2009, the Belvedere stages the first large exhibition in Vienna dedicated to Alfons Mucha (1860-1939). The oeuvre of Mucha, who became known as a commercial and decorative artist, is presented with all of its different aspects.
Large-scale paintings, pastels, drawings, and photographs served the Czech artist as media, attesting to the impressive skills he had acquired in Vienna, Munich, and Paris. In his works - be it his early illustrations, the decoration of the Pavilion of Bosnia and Herzegovina (to be rebuilt for the Belvedere’s show), the Pavillon de l’Homme for the Paris World Fair in 1900, or his large cycle The Slav Epic - Mucha attempted to convey a universal messsage: his vision of the reconciliation of nations and religions.
Installed in the Lower Belvedere, the show is divided into sections devoted to specific themes and display some 200 works by Alfons Mucha from public and private collections.