Henri ven de Velde chair
“Art Nouveau was a response to the radical changes caused by the rapid urban growth and technological advances that followed the Industrial Revolution.” (National Gallery of Art-US)
“The Art Nouveau style appeared in the early 1880s and was gone by the eve of the First World War. For a brief, brilliant moment, Art Nouveau was a shimmering presence in urban centers throughout Europe and North America.
“It was the style of the age – seen on public buildings and advertisements, inside private homes and outside street cafés – adorning the life of the city.
Victor Horta Art Nouveau staircase
“In furniture, its early exponents were the Belgian architects Henry van de Velde and Victor Horta, who furnished the interiors of their buildings with pieces designed to complement the sinuous forms of the architectural settings.
“The noted glassmaker Émile Gallé also designed some of the most opulent Art Nouveau furniture, in which plant and flower motifs predominate. Louis Majorelle produced luxurious furniture, again inspired by forms from nature, and went on to become a notable Art Deco designer after World War I (1914-1918).
Hector Guimard, Paris Metro entrance
“In France, the architect Hector Guimard, creator in 1900 of the graceful Métro (subway) stations in Paris, also designed similarly asymmetrical, heavily carved free-form furniture.
“The Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh produced, in his unique interpretation of Art Nouveau, chastely beautiful furniture. Characteristic pieces are of oak painted white, with elegant inlays and appurtenances of metal or stained glass in curvilinear, abstracted plant forms.” (France Era Co.)
Art Nouveau Furniture References:
- Art Nouveau Furniture
by Alastair Duncan
- Masterpieces of Art Nouveau Furniture:The Majorelle Catalogue
by Majorelle Frères & Cie
Charles Mackintosh fireplace
