Alphonse Mucha was a Czech artist who became one of the iconic figures of the Art Nouveau style that was popular at the beginning of the 20th century. He painted pictures, drew theatrical posters, and created incredible jewelry and fine furniture. His works were known all over the world. In Europe, Mucha was considered a genius and admired for his talent. But, as it turns out, not only in Europe.

In fact, Alphonse Mucha himself was a fan of Japanese painting. At first glance he was captivated by small woodcuts, which he repeated many times, trying to grasp the subtlety of the oriental masters' work. Some Japanese motifs appeared in the works of Mucha from time to time: he chose delicate colors, which are typical of Japanese painting, preferred an elongated vertical composition, paid great attention to floral ornaments. The artist illustrated poems by Japanese poets, drew small pictures for Japanese magazines, combining different styles. So, we can say, he brought Eastern traditions into modern European art.

Therefore, it is not surprising that there is a nationally famous Alphonse Mucha museum in a Japanese city.

The Alphonse Mucha Museum in Sakai is a unique place. It stores one of the largest collections of original works of the author, located outside of European countries. You can see lithographs and original posters, sculptures, furniture, jewelry – replicated and unique, which Mucha created in a single copy.

It is worth noting the sketches and unfinished paintings presented in the museum. The search for the future unique style of Alphonse Mucha, the stages of the creative process, the moments in which the artist was dissatisfied, are visible on them.

There are artworks that are presented virtually in the museum. Thanks to high-quality scans and large multimedia monitors, visitors of the museum can see almost the entire legacy of Alphonse Mucha, including some works that are in private collections. This is probably the largest and highest quality archive made to date.