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About the movement

L'Art nouveau est un mouvement artistique international qui s'est épanoui entre la fin du XIXe siècle et le début du XXe siècle. Ce courant se caractérise par des lignes organiques et sinueuses inspirées des formes végétales, une fusion des arts majeurs et des arts décoratifs, et une volonté de créer un art total. En France, Nancy est devenue un foyer majeur de l'Art nouveau grâce à l'école de Nancy, menée par Émile Gallé, Louis Majorelle et les frères Daum. À Paris, Hector Guimard a créé les célèbres entrées de métro aux formes végétales. L'Art nouveau a touché tous les domaines : verrerie, mobilier, céramique, bijouterie, architecture et affiche. Les musées français conservent d'exceptionnelles collections d'Art nouveau, témoins d'un mouvement qui a cherché à réinventer le cadre de vie quotidien.

Major artists

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know

The Art nouveau movement is an artistic current that developed during the 1890-1910 period. It is characterized by shared aesthetic choices, techniques, and a vision of art among a group of artists, and has profoundly shaped the history of art in France and Europe.

The Art nouveau movement is generally situated in the 1890-1910 period. As with any artistic current, its chronological boundaries are indicative: the origins may be earlier and the movement's influence may extend well beyond its main period of activity.

The Art nouveau movement brought together many artists whose works are held in the museums of France. Check the list of associated artists on this page to discover the major figures of this current and access their works referenced in the Joconde database.

The number of works associated with the Art nouveau movement varies depending on classification criteria. The Joconde database of the Ministry of Culture catalogues works associated with this current across all institutions labeled "Museum of France." The exact total is shown at the top of the artworks list on this page.

Works of the Art nouveau movement are spread across many museums of France, both in Paris and in the regions. National museums and major provincial museums hold significant collections of this current. Dell'Arte allows you to locate these works by museum or by city.

The Art nouveau movement (1890-1910) is distinguished by its own aesthetic and technical choices that differentiate it from preceding and following currents. These characteristics are visible in the works held in the museums of France, which you can explore on this page.

Like most artistic movements, Art nouveau exerted an influence on the currents that followed it. Artists of subsequent generations often adopted, transformed, or challenged the principles of Art nouveau, thus contributing to the continuous evolution of art history.

On Dell'Arte, you can refine your exploration of the Art nouveau movement by filtering by artistic field: painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, decorative arts, and others. These filters are available on the movement page and allow you to target works according to your interest.

The artworks presented come from the Joconde database of the Ministry of Culture (data.culture.gouv.fr), under Open License v2.0. The descriptions and artist groupings are based on catalogue entries written by the curators of the museums of France and on reliable historical sources.

The museums of France regularly organize temporary exhibitions around major artistic movements, including Art nouveau. Check the websites of museums that hold works of this current for current programming and upcoming events.

The presence of the Art nouveau movement in collections varies by museum and region. Major cities and national museums generally hold the most significant collections, but noteworthy works may also be found in lesser-known provincial museums.

The Art nouveau movement (1890-1910) holds an important place in the history of French art. It reflects the cultural, social, and technical developments of its era and constitutes an essential link in understanding artistic creation in France, as documented by the collections of the museums of France.