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Art Nouveau in Progress tour
A European touring exhibition seeks to revive interest in this style, writes Peter Wilson
Alongside a search for national identity and a desire to forge new links with industrial production, an urge for the modern was one of the guiding principles of art nouveau. It was an optimistic style that appeared suddenly, and almost simultaneously, across Europe. Lasting a mere 20 years, it was obliterated by the end of World War I and ever since has been considered something of a stylistic cul- de-sac by many architects and art historians.
By contrast, growing awareness of the work of architects such as GaudAE, Guimard and Mackintosh has increased public appreciation of art nouveau and a more balanced appraisal of its non-decorative qualities has begun to emerge. In part this is due to the work of the Reseau Art Nouveau Network, an EU-funded group of 13 European cities containing notable examples of the style. The three-year...