Oesterreich auf der Weltausstellung Paris 1900

The illustrator and graphic artist, Alphonse Mucha (Alfons Maria Mucha, 1860-1939) was an early exponent of Art Nouveau in Paris. Originally from Ivančice in Moravia, Austro-Hungarian Empire (present-day Czech Republic), Mucha trained and worked in Vienna and Munich before moving to Paris in 1887. [1]

Mucha received several commissions to design posters, murals, and exhibition halls for the Universal Exposition in Paris in 1900. This poster by Mucha announces Austria’s participation in the Paris Exposition (Oesterreich auf der Weltausstellung Paris, 1900). On the left of this chromolithograph, Mucha has personified Austro-Hungary as a young woman and incorporated the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s coat of arms into the design of the woman’s garment. Behind her, a male youth supports ribbons of fabric that cascades like water from above her head. Mucha’s sinuous use of line enhances the sensuality of the design and is typical of his Art Nouveau style. Mucha helped to create the ‘archetypal Art Nouveau woman with flowing robes and ‘contemporary’ beauty.’ [2]

The right side of the design advertises the key Austrian attractions and provides the names of the architects involved in the design of these pavilions. These include: the Viennese Restaurant (Wiener Restaurant) by A. Neukomm; the Hall of Honour (Ehrensaal) and the Austrian Reichshaus (Oesterreich Reichshaus) by L. Baumann; the Tyrol Residence (Tiroler Ansitz) by I Deininger; and lastly, the Siemens Halske Pavilion (Pavill Siemens Halske) and Krupp Convalescence Home (Krupp Reconvalesc heim) by L. Baumann.

Mucha collaborated on designs for the Austro-Hungarian Pavilions and produced illustrations for the official guide to the Austrian sections of the Universal Exposition. He also designed the painted interiors of the Pavilion of Bosnia and Herzegovina (territories seized from Ottoman rule by the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1878), and illustrated the menu of the Bosnian Pavilion’s restaurant. [3]

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