Biscuits Lefèvre-Utile
Medium
color lithograph on paper laid down on linen
Dimensions
sheet: 61.28 × 43.5 cm (24 1/8 × 17 1/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Evelyn Stefansson Nef Fund
Accession Number
2016.140.2
Art Historical Context
Alphonse Mucha’s 1896 color lithograph *Biscuits Lefèvre-Utile* exemplifies the vibrant marriage of fine art and commercial advertising at the turn of the twentieth century. Mucha, a leading figure of the Art Nouveau movement, brought his distinctive linear elegance and decorative sensibility to this poster for the French biscuit company LU. The work captures the era’s fascination with graceful female figures and stylized ornament, transforming a simple product advertisement into an object of visual delight. Printed as a color lithograph on paper mounted on linen, the medium allowed for rich,...