The Triumph of Nature: Art Nouveau from the Chrysler Museum of Art

Drawing inspiration from the elegance of nature, a new artistic movement emerged in Europe during the late-nineteenth century delivering a sinuous blend of beauty and functionality. When the Art Nouveau style arrived, interiors were transformed to include opulent ensembles of furniture, glass, posters, decorative arts, and other furnishings, all depicting luxurious elements found in nature.

The Triumph of Nature: Art Nouveau from the Chrysler Museum of Art brings together approximately 120 of the finest Art Nouveau treasures, introducing the luminous innovations and artistic triumphs of this movement. Spanning the years 1890-1915, Art Nouveau made its impact in interiors across the globe.

In 1894, Parisian art dealer Siegfried Bing traveled to New York City, where he met Louis Comfort Tiffany and was invited to tour one of Tiffany’s recently completed interiors on Fifth Avenue – this was a pivotal moment for Bing. He returned to Paris, renamed his gallery Maison de l’Art Nouveau, and began to gather artists and objects that were contributing to this emerging new style for his 1895 Salon.

Among these were furniture by Louis Majorelle and Georges de Feure, glass by Emilé Gallé, ceramics by the Zsolnay factory in Hungary, and prints by Czech artist Alphonse Mucha, among others. Designing for a range of clients and settings, including domestic and commercial interiors, these artists fashioned their diverse works to complement each other in harmonious visual arrangements, conceiving of Art Nouveau as a holistic and immersive environment or “total work of art” (Gesamtkunstwerk).

The Triumph of Nature celebrates Art Nouveau’s innovative and artistic accomplishments, inviting visitors once more to marvel and revel in its lustrous, nature-inspired settings. Surrounded by more than twelve acres of lushly landscaped gardens and grounds, and housing a collection of world-class Impressionist paintings, AMFA is uniquely positioned to present this exhibition of works inspired by nature.

The Triumph of Nature celebrates the ornate beauty and designs of artists such as Tiffany, Majorelle, Feure, and Gallé – visionaries who dismissed any preceding styles and introduced the world to immersive interiors that celebrated nature’s abundance.

Alphonse Mucha, Summer, 1896, 44 3/4" x 25 1/4" x 1 1/8", Color lithograph, Photograph by Edward Pollard, Image courtesy of the Chrysler Museum of Art, © Alphonse Mucha.