Author Description

Published to coincide with a major exhibition organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum in April 2000, this beautifully illustrated volume explores how the artists and designers who created Art Nouveau aimed to transform their world by challenging convention, abandoning academic styles, and embracing a modern aesthetic based on sources such as plant forms, Celtic patterns, and Japanese art. Following an introduction by Greenhalgh (research, Victoria and Albert Museum), 20 leading scholars discuss the creation of meaning, the materials of invention, and the metropolis and the designer. Period photography provides a visual context for the individual works. Contains 507 illustrations, including 407 color plates. Oversize: 10x11.5". Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR