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Art
Nouveau, 1890-1914 (Hardcover) by Paul Greenhalgh
Art
Nouveau exploded onto the art and design scene in the
early 1890s and spread rapidly throughout the Western
world. This lush volume-created to accompany a major museum
exhibition that opened at the Victoria & Albert Museum,
London, before moving to the National Gallery of Art,
Washington, D.C., in October 2000-is the most beautiful,
complete, and wide-ranging study ever published on this
enormously popular and influential style.
A wealth of illustrations and
rare period photographs showcase masterpieces in all mediums-from
Tiffany lampshades, Mucha posters, Klimt paintings, and
Lalique jewelry to architecture by Victor Horta, Antoni
Gaud, and Louis Sullivan. The text, by 20 leading scholars,
is a timely reappraisal of a style that flourished at
the turn of the last century, in a world grappling with
new ideas and rapid social change. Decadent yet popular,
both loved and hated, Art Nouveau gave rise to the concept
of an all-encompassing "lifestyle environment"-a
total work of art designed to appeal to the broadest possible
audience.
This season's most scintillating
art book, Art Nouveau, 1890-1914 will be unrivaled for
years to come.
PAUL GREENHALGH is head of research
at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. Former head
of art history at Camberwell College of Art, he is the
author of several books and articles, and a contributor
to Abrams' A Grand Design: The Art of the Victoria and
Albert Museum. He lives in London.
507 illustrations, 407 in full
color, 496 pages, 81/4 x 93/4"
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