The unity of art and life was the expressed goal of theArt Nouveau movement, the prelude to modernity. Onthe basis of shared ideas its adherents strove for ahomogenous style, which nonetheless took on manifoldvariations in its expression. Dr. Gabriele Fahr-Becker pursues this artistic movementin architecture, interior decor, furniture design, silver andgoldsmithery, ceramics and glasswork, graphic arts andpainting. The author leads her readers through the diverse national variations of Art Nouveau in Europe andthe United States. The significance of the literary andphilosophical as well as cultural and political backgroundis explained by means of many theories and writings byartists and their contemporaries. The countless permutations of Art Nouveau are woveninto a complex and yet distinctive picture of this artisticmovement at the turn of the twentieth century.

Gabriele Fahr-Becker studied art history, archaeology, and philosophy and then completed her dissertation on the Art Nouveau movement in France. She has already authored numerous publications concerning art at the turn of the century, and organizes exhibits in Germany and internationally, as well.

Highlights
• National variations of Art Nouveau in Scotland, England, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Russia, Scandinavia, Germany, Austria, the United States, and other countries
• Comprehensive portrayal of famous individual artists including Louis Comfort Tiffany, Edvard Munch, and Renй Lalique
• Biographies of the most significant artists
• An extensive glossary