50 Art Nouveau Works of Art You Should Know; Prestel, 2015

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 doublepage 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 dйcor, lamps by Tiffany and Daum Frиres, and painting, Munch’s Madonnas and Walter Crane’s Neptune’s Horses. Each entry includes a fullpage 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.