The Carnegie Arts Center is putting on the final touches for the unveiling of their newest exhibit — “Alphonse Mucha: The Golden Age of Art Nouveau.”
The Carnegie will kick-off the national tour of the exhibit when it opens Sept. 13. The one-of-a-kind exhibit of more than 70 original works includes vintage lithographs, original drawings, paintings, books, and advertising prints. The exhibit will be at the Carnegie Arts Center through Jan. 10, 2016.
A preview event and opening night gala is set for Sept. 12. The Carnegie has a few tickets remaining for the event, which will be entirely Parisian themed and will feature cocktails and Parisian dinner, live music provided by Hot Club Faux Gitane, dancing, and live and silent auctions. Tickets are $150 and are available at carnegiegala2015.eventbrite.com.
Organized by Landau Traveling Exhibitions, the exhibition shows Mucha at the height of his career in Paris during the years 1890-1910. The exhibition is drawn from the holdings of the Dhawan collection, Los Angeles, which is one of the largest collections of Mucha’s work in the United States. Mucha made his name in Paris in 1894 with his first poster advertising a play starring famed actress Sarah Bernhardt. For the next several years the organic, fluid, stylized designs he created was termed “Le Style Mucha” and was emulated by many artists of his generation.
“Alphonse Mucha’s represents the epitome of the elegant Art Nouveau style and was enormously influential all over Europe and America in the first decade of the 20th century” says Lisa McDermott, director of the Carnegie Arts Center. “Not surprisingly, Mucha’s style came back into fashion in the 1960s when his free, fluid lines and organic motifs permeated the graphic design of the early “hippie” era. When we look at Mucha’s advertising posters, it is not hard to see the influence on the design of psychedelic posters from 1960s rock concerts.”
The Carnegie Arts Center has planned several events and functions to coordinate with the exhibition of Mucha’s works. Art collector Raj Dhawan will be on hand at the gallery Sept. 13 to discuss the exhibit. Through the run of the exhibit the Carnegie will bring in a host of experts to explore the period and the influence of Art Nouveau style through their Sunday Lecture series.
The Carnegie will bring in the California State University, Stanislaus Jazz Studies Director Joe Mazzaferro on Sept. 22 for a concert that is reflective of the themes of early jazz and ragtime that developed during the period in which Mucha was making art.
The Family Friday series will include an evening of traditional Slavic dances in October and a demonstration and lesson in calligraphy and graphic lettering in November.
The price of admission for the exhibition will be $10 general admission, $8 for students and seniors, and free for Carnegie members and children 12 years and younger.
