Art Guide · Art movements
Art Nouveau
1890 – 1910
Art Nouveau (“New Art”) was the style, c. 1890–1910, that spread across Europe from architecture to posters, known for flowing lines and botanical motifs. Its best-known representatives in painting and posters are Alphonse Mucha and Gustav Klimt.
Last updated: · Iconica Society editors
Characteristics
Art Nouveau set out to erase the line between art and design. Whiplash curves, flower and vine motifs, long-haired female figures and decorative frames are its hallmarks. It went by different names in different countries: Jugendstil in Germany, Secession in Austria.
The golden age of the poster
Advances in colour lithography filled the streets of Paris with large, colourful posters. Mucha’s theatre and advertising posters and Toulouse-Lautrec’s Moulin Rouge posters are emblems of the era and remain among the best-loved poster designs today.
