Hurry! 'Mucha' is leaving the Phillips Sunday!

Mucha's studio in Paris, 1896

You may not recognize his name but you'll certainly recognize his art, world famous for decades like his continuing influence on graphic artists and designs of album covers, posters, books and much, much more, many in psychedelic fashion.

Alphonse Mucha, 1897, The Crowd at the Hotel de Ville, Paris, illustrated book. The people were celebrating the friendship between Russia and France and the visit to Paris of Tsar Nicholas II in 1896.  To commemorate the occasion, the nations jointly published a book with Mucha, the commissioned illustrator.

Alphonse Mucha, (Self-Portrait) Sketching in His Munich Apartment, c. 1886

Alphonse Mucha, Goethe and Schiller, 1897

Alphonse Mucha, Sarah Bernhardt: In Honor of Sarah Bernhardt/Her Admirers and Her Friends, 1896. The label copy notes that Mucha made this for an elaborate tribute to Ms. Bernhardt in Paris.

It's ethereal; it's classical.

A few of the musicians and their designer/artists copying and expanding his style include the Rolling Stones, Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, and Muddy Waters. 

Alphonse Mucha, Salon des Cent: Twentieth Exhibition, 1896, the exhibition organized by the art journal, La Plume.

Alphonse Mucha, Cover of Hearst's International (May 1922) Published by International Publications, New York 1922

I'm talking Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939; pronounced MOO-ka), Czechoslovakian artist whose 100 plus works the Phillips Collection presents in its outstanding exhibition, Timeless Mucha:  The Magic of Line , organized by themes by the Mucha Foundation and its Tomoko Sata with assistance from the Phillips' Renee Maurer.

Alphonse Mucha, Monaco • Monte-Carlo, 1897, This was commissioned by a railway line to promote "a 16-hour luxury train journey from Paris to Monte Carlo." 

Alphonse Mucha, The Moon and the Stars: Pole Star, 1902 

Stanley Mouse and Alton Kelley Jefferson Airplane tour poster, Fillmore Auditorium, November 6, 1966 

During the Art Nouveau period (1890-1910) of which he is most associated,  Mucha lived in Paris where he shared a studio for a while with Paul Gauguin and drew posters of singer Sarah Bernhardt which catapulted him to immediate fame, which was already growing from magazine and book illustrations he drew.

Dean Torrence (Kittyhawk Graphics) Diana Ross And the Supremes Let the Sunshine In, 1969 Cardboard LP sleeve cover

Hapshash & the Coloured Coat—Michael English and Nigel Waymouth, Jimi Hendrix Experience tour poster, Fillmore Auditorium, June 20 –26, 1967 

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. 

Metro Station: Dupont Circle (Q Street exit. Turn left and walk one block.)

For more information: 202-387-2151  


Patricialesli@gmail.com

China wins first prize in Open Embassies Day

The flag outside the Chinese embassy/By Patricia Leslie

/By Patricia Leslie

Of the embassies I visited on Saturday, here are my winners:


Best Overall Presentation:        China (for size and scope)
Friendliest Staff:                      Saudi Arabia

Most Earth Friendly:                 Saudi Arabia
Best Spread:                           Tanzania
Loudest Music:                        Ethiopia
Best View of Reno Road:          Bangladesh

(I was going to be tacky and claim Pakistan as a "no-show," but given its tension with India, I shall refrain. Please read on.)

It was "open embassies" day for non-EU countries and first up on my visitor's card was the Saudi Arabian embassy where the security (above) quickly checked and approved guests for entry in their showplace. A horse, cultural displays, and food were offered outside (below).

This handsome fellow served us delicious tea outside at the Saudi embassy/By Patricia Leslie

Friendly greeters stood in the hallway to welcome visitors/By Patricia Leslie

This woman was proud to point to the painting commemorating the meeting in 1945 of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Saudi King Abdul Aziz ibn Saud which initiated a long-term relationship, this year celebrating its octogintennial anniversary, the longest U.S. has had with any Arab state. The painting hangs in the entrance hallway at the Saudi embassy/By Patricia Leslie

Entertainment at the Saudi embassy/By Patricia Leslie

Inside the Saudi embassy/By Patricia Leslie
Inside the Saudi embassy/By Patricia Leslie

Thirty minutes later and the fellow was still serving tea at the Saudi embassy/By Patricia Leslie

  
Food to go at the Saudi embassy/By Patricia Leslie

Compostable food boxes at the Saudi embassy/By Patricia Leslie

Saudi video promotions ran while we dined underneath tents at the embassy/By Patricia Leslie

Next stop, Qatar...whoops! The 20-minute wait was too long for this 
mama in a hurry/By Patricia Leslie

  

On to Tanzania which had the biggest spread of any embassy I visited and had no wait! Thank you, Tanzania!/By Patricia Leslie

The spread at Tanzania, "a fusion influenced by many cultures," Middle Eastern and Indian, including this "tasty reflection of the country's diverse influences...a mouthwatering mix of Spices from the Island of Zanzibar." Tasty and delicious, I'll say!/By Patricia Leslie
Visitors fill plates at Tanzania/By Patricia Leslie
Inside the Tanzania embassy/By Patricia Leslie
Dancing outside the Tanzania embassy/By Patricia Leslie

I interrupt this embassy tour to bring you the "Democracy Tree" which I stumbled across on New Hampshire Avenue while on my embassies' trek.  The tree was planted by the Foundry United Methodist Church (when? ND) to recognize the lack of a D.C. voting member in the U.S. Congress: "Taxation Without Representation is Tyranny," the plaque states/By Patricia Leslie
 

The "Democracy Tree"/By Patricia Leslie

Arriving at the Chinese embassy I passed a sign stating "30 minutes wait from here," but, happily, I had no wait!/By Patricia Leslie

Inside the Chinese embassy with a panda, of course!/By Patricia Leslie

Inside the Chinese embassy/By Patricia Leslie

Inside the Chinese embassy. Note sculptures outside the glass which may be seen from the back of the embassy on Van Ness Street in a photo below/By Patricia Leslie

Inside the Chinese embassy/By Patricia Leslie

Inside the Chinese embassy/By Patricia Leslie
 

A table set for fine dining at the Chinese embassy/By Patricia Leslie

Ceiling fixtures in the fine dining room at the Chinese embassy/By Patricia Leslie

A large auditorium featuring entertainment Saturday at the Chinese embassy/By Patricia Leslie

Dancers at the Chinese embassy/By Patricia Leslie

Dancers at the Chinese embassy/By Patricia Leslie

Dancers at the Chinese embassy/By Patricia Leslie
More entertainment in the auditorium at the Chinese embassy/By Patricia Leslie

On the walls at the embassy were photographs of scenes visitors may see when visiting China/By Patricia Leslie
More scenes for tourists at the Chinese embassy, here, camel riders/By Patricia Leslie
Inside the Chinese embassy/By Patricia Leslie

Down the stairs to the auditorium and the "bamboo room" at the Chinese embassy/By Patricia Leslie

At the bottom of the stairs, visitors waited for their names to be written in Chinese, souvenirs from the Chinese embassy/By Patricia Leslie

This must be the ambassador's office at the Chinese embassy, but I failed to ask! The window looks out on Van Ness Street/By Patricia Leslie

More of the fancy office at the Chinese embassy/By Patricia Leslie

The "bamboo room" where special guests are invited when visiting the Chinese embassy, a guide told me.  Rather than a photograph, this is embroidery of a bamboo scene, a skill practiced for more than 2,000 years, the guide said/By Patricia Leslie
Guests view the "bamboo room" at the Chinese embassy/By Patricia Leslie
The film room at the Chinese embassy/By Patricia Leslie

Down the up staircase at the Chinese embassy/By Patricia Leslie

Outside the Chinese embassy, guests wait in line for food and eat/By Patricia Leslie

Delicious vegetarian spring rolls, a dumpling, and an almond cookie were on the menu and served outside a tent at the Chinese embassy/By Patricia Leslie

Loud (very loud) anti-China demonstrators made their presence known at the entrance of the Chinese embassy with a bullhorn and drums. They never stopped shouting the time I was there. They shouted they were not holding the Chinese people in contempt, only the Chinese government/By Patricia Leslie

The anti-China protesters at the Chinese embassy/By Patricia Leslie

The anti-China protesters at the Chinese embassy/By Patricia Leslie

The Chinese embassy/By Patricia Leslie

On to the Ethiopian embassy where (sorry, Ethiopia) but the 45 minutes wait was not worth it. You didn't show us much inside!/By Patricia Leslie

Ethiopian products for sale in the only room where we were permitted at the embassy/By Patricia Leslie

Dancing at the Ethiopian embassy/By Patricia Leslie

Ethiopian food served to guests, including injera, "the classic Ethiopian bread used to scoop wot"/By Patricia Leslie

 The only room we saw at the Ethiopian embassy/By Patricia Leslie

 Moving down the street to the Bangladesh embassy/By Patricia Leslie

The hallway leading to the entrance and exit at the Bangladesh embassy/By Patricia Leslie

Entertainment at the Bangladesh embassy/By Patricia Leslie

Looking out on Reno Road from the balcony of the Bangladesh embassy where food was for sale/By Patricia Leslie

Remember the outdoor sculptures seen from the window inside the Chinese embassy?  Here they are seen from Van Ness Street/By Patricia Leslie

The back of the Chinese embassy as it stands on Van Ness Street, close to half a million square feet (!) and designed by I.M. Pei/By Patricia Leslie

Where o where was Pakistan?  Although its facility was on the map of open embassies, the gates were locked and it looked like no one was at home at 3:45 p.m. (Closing time was announced at 5 p.m.) No cars in the drive, no humans, no life save us weary who had climbed the International Court hill to visit Pakistan. Alas! Given the tension between Pakistan and India, Pakistan's "no-show" was excused and, at least, calories expended climbing the hill.

Next Saturday, May 10, the EU nations will hold "open embassies," but if this year is anything like the open EU embassies in 2023 when the waits were an hour plus and all you saw was a room or two, plus, maybe got half a biscuit, no thanks! Are the non-EU nations always better to visit?  For sure!

patricialesli@gmail.com