Art Nouveau

Following his most recent book, Art Deco City, author/photographer Arnold Schwartzman focuses his attention on the Art Nouveau style around the world, from Paris to Barcelona and beyond.

This richly illustrated book of over 200 photographs offers a fascinating guide to the Art Nouveau movement. The style known as Art Nouveau emerged at the close of the 19th century, a period known as the fin de siecle. It was a time of new ideas and inventions, such as the flying machine, automobile, Cinematographe, telephone, and the talking machine.

The term Art Nouveau is derived from La Maison de l'Art Nouveau, a shop opened by dealer Siegfried Bing in Paris in 1896. Its aesthetic was established by the British Arts and Crafts movement founded by William Morris in 1861 as a handcraft reaction to the mass-production ethos of the Industrial Revolution. Art Nouveau is based on plant forms and fantasy shapes, and embraces all forms of art and design including architecture, metal work, tiles, furniture, graphics, textiles and jewellery. The style soon became popular throughout Europe as well as the United States.

About the Author

Arnold Schwartzman is an Oscar-winning film-maker, a noted graphic designer, and the author of many books including London Art Deco, Art Deco City and Arts & Crafts. He began his design career in British television before moving to Hollywood in 1978. He was the Director of Design for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, and for a number of years has designed many of the key graphic elements for the annual Academy Awards. In 2001 he was awarded an OBE and in 2006 he was appointed a Royal Designer by the RSA.