Art Nouveau History

A widespread but relatively brief art and design movement and philosophy, Art Nouveau emerged in the final decades of the nineteenth century.

Developing almost simultaneously in parts of Europe and America, Art Nouveau was an attempt to create a unique and modern form of expression that evoked the spirit of the new century.

Key Artists:

  • Gustav Klimt
  • Alphonse Mucha
  • Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo
  • Charles RenniteMackintosh
  • Louis Comfort Tiffany
  • Rene Lalique

A versatile movement, it manifested itself in ... 

  • painting, 
  • illustration, 
  • sculpture, 
  • jewelry, 
  • metalwork, 
  • glass, 
  • ceramics, 
  • textiles, 
  • graphic design, 
  • furniture, architecture, 
  • costume design, and 
  • fashion.

In an attempt to modernize design and also to reconcile mass-production with craftsmanship, Art Nouveau artists and designers created sinuous, flowing and elegant designs, often in asymmetrical compositions that convey an impression of movement. Following the industrialization and urbanization of much of Europe, and an increase in the availability of many cheaper material goods, anxiety arose about the social and moral effects of consumerism. The Arts and Crafts movement began as a moralistic design style in c. 1880, and, linked to this, Art Nouveau evolved with similar aims. Like the Arts and Crafts movement, it drew on influences such as Celtic art, the Gothic Revival, the Rococo, Aestheticism, Symbolism and Japonisme. In particular, Art Nouveau artists aimed to raise the status of craft and design to the level of fine art.

Key Developments:

  • Art Nouveau embraced organic themes, with motifs including insects, vegetation, animals and the female form.
  • Materials such as pewter, silver and mother-of-pearl were used in ornaments, while simplified fluid Japaneses-style compositions proliferated.
  • Aiming to abandon what the perceived as frivolous decoration, most Art Nouveau designers believed that an object's function should dictate its form.