Art Nouveau Movement

Art Nouveau was popularized in the 19th and 20th centuries with Belgium and France at the center of the movement.  The name came from Samuel Bing, a German art dealer in Paris who established the famed Maison l'Art Nouveau.  The gallery became the unofficial headquarters of the movement, supporting and nurturing artists and Bing's enchant for furniture and interior design.  These designs that utilized organic curves and lines became the signature for the rapidly growing Art Nouveau movement; "Our roots are in the depths of the forest, among the mosses, amidst the water" became the defining motto.