Art Nouveau: Art and design 1900

Delightful day organised by the London Art History Society at Birkbeck College looking at the art and design of the Art Nouveau led by Ann Anderson.

The day was divided into four lectures with plentiful breaks for coffee and lunch. In the morning Ann led us through a good overview of the main motifs of Art Nouveau style with really good visual examples from different countries and in different mediums. She also talked about the different between this style and the arts and crafts movement.

The second talked looked at who this art was for and how people bought the objects. I had not come across Samuel Siegfried Bing, the owner of the Art Nouveau Gallery, the Liberty’s of Paris. Ann gave us a good overview of what we might have been able to buy there. She also talked about the Paris exhibition of 1900 and how that led and influenced style.

In the afternoon we looked at two producers of this period. We began with Rene Lalique focusing in particular on his jewellery. Ann had some wonderful pictures and took us through the styles and themes of his work. She also talked about the history of his factories and his move into glass.

We finished with a look at the L’Ecole de Nancy, a group of artists and craftsmen who fled to the city of Nancy when Alsace Lorraine became part of Germany. The main stays of this group were Galle and Daum, the glass designers, but there were also architects and furniture makers. I’ve added Nancy to my list of places to visit.

The day have a good overview of the main themes of the period but you realised just how much more there was to see and learn.

 

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