Mucha prints to be auctioned

NEW YORK – More than 100 bound, hand-painted lithographs by Alphonse Mucha, one of the fathers of the art nouveau movement, go on auction today. The works have not been seen publicly for over a century.

Swann Galleries President Nicholas Lowry gave a pre-auction estimate of the books of $300,000 to $400,000.

Art nouveau, which thrived from the late 1880s to the early 1900s, may be one of the most recognized and utilized art movements of the 20th century.

The Czech artist, who moved to Paris in the late 1880s to study art, came to fame in 1884 when he created a poster for legendary actress Sarah Bernhardt. Bernhardt, who loved art nouveau, commissioned Mucha to produce works for her ranging from posters and set design to jewelry.

In 1897, Mucha was given three months to illustrate “Ilsee, Princesse de Tripoli,” a fairy tale based on a play by Edmond Rostand that starred Bernhardt; Mucha did the costumes. In this short time, Mucha managed to produce 138 images.

Some 250 copies of the “Ilsee, Princesse de Tripoli” were printed, one of which is owned by the New York Public Library.

On auction is a two-volume set of proofs hand-watercolored by Mucha conveying his vision for the 138 images in the book.

Lowry said the images were last up for auction in Paris in 1897 and the buyer bought them all and bound them in a rich green and gold silk, still immaculate despite its age.