The special exhibition Timeless Mucha celebrates the visionary graphic work of Czech artist Alphonse Mucha (1860–1939), whose elegant figures and whiplash lines came to define the Art Nouveau movement and transformed visual culture around the world.
Featuring more than 100 works from the Mucha Trust Collection, this exhibition traces Mucha’s rise from a struggling artist in Paris to an international sensation – and explores the enduring influence of his imagery across illustration, design, and pop culture.
At the heart of Mucha’s art is his distinctive use of line: bold and sinuous whiplashes that form flowing hair, ornate borders, and radiant halos. Timeless Mucha invites us to trace these revolutionary compositions and learn the visual language that inspired generations of artists.
Birth of a modern style
Mucha’s breakthrough came when he was commissioned to design posters for actress Sarah Bernhard. Floral and florid, these distinctive poster designs fused the modern with the mythic and invented a new kind of celebrity image.
Mucha’s advertisements solidified his signature style – elongated forms, ornamental detail, a sense of quiet grandeur – and typified Art Nouveau’s most recognizable expression.
Pop culture poster child
Mucha’s line reached beyond Art Nouveau. Decades later, his visual language resurfaced in unexpected places: the swirling psychedelia of the 1960s, the expressive dynamism of Japanese manga, even the bold storytelling of American comics.
Timeless Mucha follows the artist’s enduring legacy among artists and designers – and within our collective imaginations.
Upcoming programs
Thu, Jun 11 | 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Patterns of Influence: The Grammar of Ornament in Art Nouveau
In return for their support, Nelson-Atkins members receive myriad benefits — including early access and free daily admission to special exhibitions like Timeless Mucha.
Visit the Nelson-Atkins Info Desk in Bloch Lobby to ask about rolling the price of your exhibition ticket into the cost of a new membership.
Timeless Mucha, on view April 18 – August 30, 2026, in the special exhibition galleries of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO. Digital Production photographer, Dana Anderson.
Timeless Mucha, on view April 18 – August 30, 2026, in the special exhibition galleries of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO. Digital Production photographer, Dana Anderson.
Timeless Mucha exhibition, Friends of Art member opening, April 17, 2026, at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO. Digital Production photographer, Mark McDonald.
Timeless Mucha, on view April 18 – August 30, 2026, in the special exhibition galleries of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO. Digital Production photographer, Dana Anderson.
Timeless Mucha exhibition, Society of Fellows and Business Council opening, April 16, 2026, at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO. Digital Production photographer, Dana Anderson.
Timeless Mucha exhibition, Friends of Art member opening, April 17, 2026, at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO. Digital Production photographer, Mark McDonald.
Timeless Mucha exhibition, Friends of Art member opening, April 17, 2026, at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO. Digital Production photographer, Mark McDonald.
Timeless Mucha exhibition, Friends of Art member opening, April 17, 2026, at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO. Digital Production photographer, Mark McDonald.
Alton Kelley. Grateful Dead, Grateful Dead Live: Skull and Roses, 1971. Cardboard LP sleeve cover, 12 3/4 x 12 3/4 inches. Collection of the Mucha Trust. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records.
Organized by the Mucha Foundation, Prague, in collaboration with The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. In Kansas City, generous support provided by: Paul DeBruce and Linda Woodsmall-DeBruce, Evelyn Craft Belger and Richard Belger, Neil Karbank and Gretchen Calhoun, Shirley and Barnett Helzberg Jr., Bill and Sara Morgan, the G. Kenneth and Ann Baum Philanthropic Fund, Nancy and Rick Green, Don Hall Jr., JE Dunn Construction, Hallmark Cards, Inc., the Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts – Commerce Bank, Trustee, the Campbell/Calvin Fund for Exhibitions, and the Henry & Marion Bloch Foundation Fund.
