For Ms. Bernhardt's association, Mucha happened to be "in the right place at the right time" when she searched for an artist over a Christmas break to make a poster for her play, Gismonda, which was enjoying an extended run.
Mucha was one of the few working over the holidays, and he got the call.
And the accolades, too, from his poster which is in the Phillips' show. (All art borrowed from the Mucha Foundation in Prague.)
Mucha's work for Ms. Bernhardt continued far beyond Gismonda with designs he made for her theatre sets, costumes, jewelry and programs, many artifacts on display at the Phillips.
The Bernhardt magic touch extended to other retailers. Mucha made posters for trains, advertisements for cigarettes, food, bicycles, champagne, chocolate and many more products, attracting commissions to create beautiful young, idyllic women with flowing hair in long gowns, swirling amidst flowers and nature, his fame growing internationally, and yet he yearned for more.
In 1904 he visited the U.S. for the first time arriving in New York where his fame as Ms. Bernhardt's illustrator preceded him. In his four stays in the U.S., he made portraits, lectured, and taught at the New York School of Applied Design for Women, the Philadelphia School of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. The Brooklyn Museum hosted a popular exhibition of his work in 1921.
His desire to become a more serious artist, an artist of history, led him to honor his native Czechoslovakia and the Slavic peoples of Europe with 20 large paintings it took him 14 years to complete.
In 1928 he presented the series, The Slav Epic, to his native Czechoslovakia and which, less than 100 years later, has found a permanent home in Prague. (See it here in photos at Wikipedia.)
In 1939 Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia whose troops arrested Mucha and held him for questioning for several days, not long before he contracted pneumonia at almost age 79 and died the same year.
Although his art was not popular then, his son, Jiri, successfully worked to promote his father's art. Probably the greatest known collector of Mucha's art is tennis star and Czech-born Ivan Lendl who began his acquisitions after meeting Jiri in 1982.
Through the closing Sunday at the Phillips, an expert will talk about Mucha and his art every day at 1 p.m. which is included in the admission price*.
Bloomberg Philanthropies presents free audio guides with an introduction by Mucha's great-grandson, Marcus Mucha, which may be accessed online.
A Mucha catalog is available at the Phillips' shop: hardcover, 240 pages, published 2025 by the Mucha Foundation, $60.
Other cities on the Mucha tour are Santa Fe, June 20 - Sept. 20, 2025; Boca Raton, Nov. 19 - Mar. 1, 2026; Kansas City, MO, Apr. 11 - Aug. 30, 2026; Mexico City, Mexico, Oct. 8- Feb.8, 2027.
The new Mucha Museum opened in February in the Savarin Palace in Prague.
What: Timeless Mucha: The Magic of Line
When: Through Sunday, May 18, 2025, 10 a. m. - 5 p.m. but on Sunday, the first hour is reserved for members only with the cafe and shop open to the public for that hour.
Where: The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St., N.W. at Q St., Washington, D.C. 20009
*Admission: $20, adults; $15 for those over 62; $10, students and educators (with ID); free for members, military and their families beginning this weekend through Labor Day (the Phillips is a Blue Star museum), and for those 18 and under. Pay what you wish daily from 4 - 5 p.m. Reservations, recommended.