ART NOUVEAU

A new edition to Prestel's popular "50s" series, this collection of the finest examples of Art Nouveau shows how the movement impacted every artistic discipline. The heyday of the Art Nouveau style was relatively short, spanning the decades immediately before and after 1900. However it was a tremendously important period, not only for its radical shift away from the academic and romantic movements of the late 19th century, but also for its embrace of nature and natural forms. This authoritative, accessible, and beautifully illustrated book explores fifty of the most important works of the Art Nouveau style. From Mackmurdo's jacket design of Christopher Wren's City Churches to Sykes' sculpture, The Spirit of Ecstasy, each work is presented in double-page spreads that chronologically trace Art Nouveau's development and breadth--from architecture, Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, and graphic arts, Toulouse-Lautrec's poster advertising the Divan Japonais, to home décor, lamps by Tiffany and Daum Frères, and painting, Munch's Madonnas and Walter Crane's Neptune's Horses. Each entry includes a full-page illustration and concise explanatory texts. An introductory essay on the history and legacy of Art Nouveau, along with brief biographies of the artists featured in the book, make this a comprehensive yet compact reference work.