Art Nouveau in the United States

11/03/2020 > 11/03/2020

The stylistic term “Art Nouveau”—summoning images of distinctive whiplash lines—is most often applied to European architecture and decorative art. With the exception of works by Louis Comfort Tiffany, it is seldom used in relation to American design. In his lecture, Wilson will discuss how American design played a major role in the emergence of Art Nouveau in Europe.

Wilson will cover the emergence of the term Art Nouveau in the late nineteenth century and its great popularizer, Siegfried Bing and his Paris gallery of the same name. He will then look at the buildings and other objects in the United States that display Art Nouveau features. This includes the work of architect Louis Sullivan; buildings in such diverse locations as St. Louis, Pittsburgh, New York, and Iowa; and decorative art by various designers and makers.

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