Grand Hôtel-Dieu, Lyon
September 4, 2026 to January 24, 2027
For the first time , from September 4th , an extraordinary exhibition dedicated to Alphonse Mucha , the father of Art Nouveau, one of the absolute protagonists of European figurative culture between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and an extraordinary poet of feminine charm and beauty, comes to Lyon.
Featuring over 90 original works of incomparable beauty—including posters, drawings, and paintings from Mucha's oeuvre—the exhibition explores how, in his research, the figure of women became the unifying thread of a universe in which theater, advertising, photography, nature, spirituality, and cultural identity intertwine, creating one of the most recognizable visual languages of all time.
His female figures, today among the most celebrated images of the Belle Époque, are not merely symbols of elegance or beauty. Through them, Mucha explores theater, advertising, the birth of the modern brand, photography, nature, spirituality, national identity, and the relationship between art and society. Thus, women become the unifying thread of a new visual universe in which aesthetics and communication, symbol and market, memory and innovation intertwine in a surprisingly timely synthesis.
Everything will be housed in a new space, in the centre of Lyon, in the most beautiful historic building in the city, which will become a fascinating museum exhibition venue: the Grand Hôtel-Dieu , which will captivate visitors with the major exhibitions by Arthemisia and Fever.
The exhibition, curated by art historian Giulia Silvia Ghia , is produced by Arthemisia and Fever , in collaboration with Art Nouveau Production sro Collection and BRIDGECONSULTINGpro , thanks to the extraordinary loan of Portu Gallery Investments sro, Prague.
The Alfonse Mucha collection, managed by Art Nouveau Production, is heading to France. From September 4, 2026 to January 24, 2027, the collection will be on public display in the historic Grand Hôtel-Dieu de Lyon.
The exhibition presents over 90 original works divided into six thematic sections, from iconic Parisian posters to decorative panels and more personal work from his later years. The exhibition closes with an immersive projection room, where Mucha’s works come to life through light and projection.
Mucha and France: where Art Nouveau was born
Alfons Mucha left to study in Paris in 1887, and it was there that he built, over the following years, a successful career as an influential painter and graphic artist, one that made him one of the most prominent figures in European fine art at the turn of the century.
The turning point came in 1894, when Mucha designed a poster for the play Gismonda for Sarah Bernhardt, then Paris’s most famous actress, despite never having designed a poster before. The poster became an instant sensation, launched a six-year collaboration with Bernhardt, and laid the foundations of the style we know today as Art Nouveau.
The works are already in place
The collection’s move to France has been successfully completed.
Grand Hôtel-Dieu is one of the most significant historic buildings in the center of Lyon, where Arthemisia and Fever hold their major international exhibitions. The works are already settled into their places across the exhibition’s sections, and starting tomorrow, Friday, September 4, the first visitors will see them.
About the exhibition in Lyon
Visitors will see over 90 original works, from iconic posters to decorative panels and textiles, to the more personal and politically engaged work from Mucha’s later years after his return to his homeland. The exhibition culminates in an immersive room, where projection transforms his works into a moving, living scenography.
The exhibition is open from September 4, 2026 to January 24, 2027.
