ALPHONSE MUCHA (1860-1939) HOSPODARSKA PRUMYSLOVA A UM ELECKA VYSTAVA CESKEHO SEVEROVYCHODU V HORICICH. 1903. 62 3/4x26 1/4 inches, 159 1/2x66 3/4 cm. Unie, Prague. Condition B+: tears, repaired tears and creases in margins and image; abrasions in image; tape on verso; horizontal folds. Paper. In 1902 and 1903, while still living in Paris, Mucha designed two posters for exhibitions in his home country. Unlike much of his later work when he returned to live in Czechoslovakia, his French-period designs show "him in top form, with Art Nouveau elements and curves rampant throughout the design" (Rennert / Weill p. 302). Here, for an Agricultural, Industrial and Art fair in the northeast Bohemian town of Horcice, he uses the Czech lion as the background for his central halo. Rennert / Weill 84, Lendl / Prague p. 154, Cesky Plakat 78.
