Art Nouveau

In 1896, Edvard Munch's first exhibition was held in Paris at the L'Art Nouveau gallery. The decorative style movement originated in the eighties of the nineteenth century from the philosophy of the Arts-and-Crafts movement. The style can be recognized by stylized lines, waves and curves with organic elements such as leaf vines. The movement sought to bring all the arts together and design art based on natural forms that could be mass-produced.

Decadence, elegance and eroticism are often associated with Art Nouveau. The movement was the first successful attempt to arrive at a contemporary and non-imitating visual language, as in the extreme designs of, for example, Antoní Gaudí. Art Nouveau spread throughout Europe at lightning speed due to the rise of the illustrated art magazine and new reproduction techniques.

Many countries had their own variant of Art Nouveau: Nieuwe Kunst (Netherlands), Jugendstil (German-speaking countries), Modernismo (Spain), Stile Floreale (Italy). In the Netherlands, the New Art was popularized by an advertising poster for salad oil by Jan Toorop. New Art was therefore also called the 'salad oil style' in the Netherlands. The New Art is sleeker, more frugal in decoration and more sober than the international Art Nouveau and has Gothic influences.