In the Heart of Art Nouveau

If you are going to check out art in Munich, there is no time frame that is more relevant to the city than Art Nouveau. Munich was one of the big centers of Art Nouveau development during the backdrop of the industrial revolution. Along with cities like Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and New York, Munich was on the forefront. So it's always exciting when a bit of that type of art comes back through Munich today. Well not since the Kandinsky exhibit inspired lines of people blocks long have I seen a show so strong in Munich as the Alfons Mucha show at the Kunsthalle, just 100m from the Residence.. Mucha was a Czech born artist who spend several years in Munich before landing in Paris, where he received worldwide fame for his poster art, including those for Sarah Bernhardt, the famous theatre actress. Mucha formed a six year contract to produce Bernhardt's promotion posters, and many of those examples are in the show. Also at the exhibit is a recreation of Mucha's designs at the Bosnia-Herzegovina pavillion for the Paris World's Fair in 1900. It's quite impressive to see the walls of this palace rebuilt in downtown Munich. Eventually, Mucha left Paris to return to his hometown of Prague, and many of his local works have been reconstructed for the show. If you ever wanted a good taste of Art Nouveau, this is a good place for it.