Peacock vase produced by Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company, ca. 1901 (Cooper Hewitt)
STREAMING PROGRAM INFORMATION
- This program is part of our Smithsonian Associates Streaming series.
- Platform: Zoom
- Online registration is required.
- If you register multiple individuals, you will be asked to supply individual names and email addresses so they can receive a Zoom link email. Please note that if there is a change in program schedule or a cancellation, we will notify you via email, and it will be your responsibility to notify other registrants in your group.
Noted for its organic, sinuous, and seductive styles, the art nouveau movement in modern art and design—called the New Style—developed out of the arts and crafts and aesthetic movements. Centered in France at the very turn of the last century, it was celebrated at the Exposition Universelle of 1900 in Paris and quickly spread to England and America.
This richly illustrated seminar led by art historian Bonita Billman explores art nouveau’s origins, its identifying characteristics, and chief creators. Though it flowered for only a decade or so, art nouveau has had a long-lasting influence and popularity.
9:30—10:45 a.m. The Origins and Characteristics of Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau was promoted by art dealer Siegfried Bing and had its most spectacular showing at the World’s Fair in Paris where great names in design like Tiffany exhibited their work. Bing showcased art nouveau in his own pavilion of concept rooms at the exposition.
11 a.m.—12:15 p.m. Art Nouveau in France
France excelled in the New Style. Rene Lalique, later famous for his glass, was a designer of sinuous mixed-media jewelry. Majorelle and Gaillard made furniture, and Mucha and de Feure painted.
12:15—1:15 p.m. Break
1:15—2:30 p.m. The New Style in Britain
Like Bing, Arthur Lasenby Liberty, a dealer in Asian objets d’art, championed the New Style. Many conservative Britons rejected the style for its perceived decadence and “Frenchness,” but his influential London store Liberty and Co. became synonymous with the popular style. In Scotland, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife Margaret MacDonald formed their own unique style of Art Nouveau.
2:45—4 p.m. The New Style in America
Ironically, the artist most associated with art nouveau was not French, but American: Louis Comfort Tiffany. Tiffany, who trained as a painter and worked as an interior designer, turned his attention to glass in the late 1880s. His Tiffany studio produced stained glass, glass mosaics, and most especially, art glass.
Billman, who is retired from the department of art and art history at Georgetown University, lectures for a variety of organizations in the mid-Atlantic region.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1 credit*
Patron Information
- Unless otherwise noted, registration for streaming programs typically closes two hours prior to the start time on the date of the program.
- Once registered, patrons should receive an automatic email confirmation from CustomerService@SmithsonianAssociates.org.
- Separate Zoom link information will be emailed closer to the date of the program. If you do not receive your Zoom link information 24 hours prior to the start of the program, please email Customer Service for assistance.
- View Common FAQs about our Streaming Programs on Zoom.
*Enrolled participants in the World Art History Certificate Program receive 1 elective credit. Not yet enrolled? Learn about the program, its benefits, and how to register here.
