ALPHONSE MUCHA

Alphonse Mucha was a Czechoslovakian artist from the 1890s to the 1930s. He has been called the father of the Art Nouveau style and is well known for his advertising art as well as "The Slav Epic" series of paintings that depicted the history of the Czech and Slavic people. He produced many paintings, illustrations, advertisements, postcards, and designs. He passed away in 1939 at the age of 78. He was a Slav nationalist and Freemason, which made him a prime target as the Nazis overtook Czechoslovakia. He was arrested, then interrogated for several days, and after his release, he contracted pneumonia and died.