The Discovery of Alfons Mucha’s bust

In 2014, we acquired from a private European collection a bronze sculpture of exceptional beauty and craftsmanship. Upon examining it, we discovered the signature of the legendary Czech painter and sculptor Alfons Mucha, one of the most renowned representatives of the Art Nouveau movement. It also bore the foundry mark of Pinedo Paris and the stamp “Bronze Garanti au Titre – Paris”.

Until that day, only six versions of this bust were known. Our sculpture therefore constituted a new discovery, increasing the number of known versions to seven. In theory, however, there may be as many as ten of these sculptures in existence worldwide.

The sculpture Nature was first presented at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris. Over the course of 212 days, the exhibition was visited by 48 million people, propelling Mucha to the height of his fame. The artist created a series of sculptures that immediately found their way into private collections. As they have come to light over time, these works have often been acquired by major museums.