From Nouveau to Deco: Three Amazing Decades of Art Quiz

Answer: Paris

Inspired by various sources,such as the British Arts and Crafts movement and Japanese art, Art Nouveau (French for "new art") first developed in Belgium in the 1890s - quickly spreading to neighbouring France and other European countries. However, it was with the Exposition Universelle held in Paris from 14 April to 12 November 1900 that the style established its place as a worldwide phenomenon. The pavilions dedicated to decorative arts provided a unique showcase for the creativity of Art Nouveau artists and designers, displaying stunning examples of jewelry, glassware, ceramics and furniture. Art Nouveau was also featured in the interior decoration of many of the pavilions, as well as the posters produced to advertise the Exposition. Those displays proved very popular with the public, and gave exposure to artists and designers from all over the world.

Many of the imposing structures built for the exhibition were meant to be temporary, and were demolished shortly afterwards. However, a few of them - such as the Gare d'Orsay (now Musée d'Orsay), the Grand Palais and Petit Palais, and the Alexandre III bridge - have survived to this day, as have 86 of the 154 Metro stations designed by architect Hector Guimard, which have become one of the symbols of Paris. Two of these entrances are still protected by elaborate glass-and-cast-iron "dragonfly" canopies, with the elegant, sinuous shapes that characterize Art Nouveau: the one shown in the photo, Porte Dauphine, is the only entrance that is still on its original site.

Answer: Antoni Gaudí

At the turn of the 20th century, Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, became a hotbed for the highly individual version of Art Nouveau known as "Modernisme" - often identified with its standard-bearer, architect Antoni Gaudí. A deeply religious man, passionate about his craft and fascinated by nature, Gaudí created an unmistakably personal style that was inspired by natural forms, with flowing, curved shapes and lush floral motifs. In his striking architectural creations Gaudí integrated other crafts, such as stained glass, ceramics and metalwork, often in very innovative ways. One of his signature techniques, known as "trencadís", involved the use of waste ceramic pieces to create colourful, unique mosaics. An example of this technique can be seen in the photo, which depicts a salamander known in Barcelona as "el drac" (the dragon): the statue, one of the symbols of the city, is located at the entrance of the magnificent Parc Güell (1900-1914), a large public parc built on a rocky hill, meant to be an oasis of calm and peace. Gaudí's most famous creation, however, is the imposing, still unfinished Basílica de la Sagrada Família, whose construction began in 1882. Seven of the buildings and spaces designed by Gaudí in or near Barcelona were inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1984.

The three artists mentioned as wrong answers are among the most important figures of early Art Nouveau: Victor Horta was a Belgian architect, Émile Gallé a French glass artist, and Carlo Bugatti an Italian designer and decorator.

Answer: a London department store

While the definition of "stile floreale" (floral style) for the Italian variant of Art Nouveau is quite self-explanatory, the even more common definition of "stile Liberty" requires some background knowledge. The name comes from the iconic London department store, Liberty & Co., founded by Arthur Lasenby Liberty in 1874: associated with the Arts and Crafts movement, the store was renowned for its textiles and art objects imported from the Far East. Stile Liberty, which flourished in Italy between 1900 and 1914, was spotlighted in the "Prima Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Decorativa Moderna" (First International Exhibition of Modern Decorative Arts), which opened in Turin on 10 May 1902 with the intent of presenting the cream of the international production in the fields of architecture, interior decoration, and applied arts. Stile Liberty quickly become popular all over the country, and many Italian cities and towns boast buildings designed in the style - which was often influenced by Baroque art's flair for lavish ornamentation. Turin, Milan and Palermo in particular offer many outstanding examples of Liberty architecture; in Rome, the strikingly eclectic buildings of the Quartiere Coppedč (completed in 1927) blend Liberty with elements of Renaissance and Baroque.

Tuscan painter, designer and decorator Galileo Chini, who created the magnificent frescoes of "Primavera" (Spring) and "Autunno" (Autumn) shown in the photo, was one of the most significant Liberty artists. The frescoes are part of the interior decoration of the luxurious Terme Berzieri in Salsomaggiore (near Parma), one of Italy's most famous spa towns. Though in the 1920s Liberty's popularity was on the wane, the trend for interior decoration in that style continued for longer in Italy than in other European countries, and Chini's gorgeous frescoes (dating from 1922) can definitely be counted among the finest examples of Liberty painting. Chini acquired international renown, and in the early 1910s he was invited to Bangkok by King Rama V to decorate the throne room of the Royal Palace.

Italy also distinguished itself for the quality of its graphic designers, whose work includes commercial advertisements, posters for theatres and opera houses, and book cover art. One of the foremost artists in the Futurist movement, Umberto Boccioni, began his career as a graphic artist in the Liberty style.

Answer: Glasgow

Rooted in the late 19th-century Arts and Crafts movement, the variant of Art Nouveau specific to Great Britain took the name of Modern Style, or Glasgow Style. Thanks to an economic boom, and to the presence of the influential Glasgow Art Institute, at the turn of the 20th century the Scottish city became a major hub for the development and diffusion of the style, which introduced Celtic elements and the influence of Japanese art (Japonisme) into the framework already set in place by Arts and Crafts. The Glasgow School comprised various groups of artists and designers - of which the one known as The Four was the most representative. Members of The Four were two couples: Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife, Margaret MacDonald, and Margaret's sister, Frances MacDonald, with her husband, James Herbert MacNair.

With its simple, elegant lines, effortlessly blending curves and angles - as in the well-known motif of the Glasgow Rose, which can be seen on both doors of the cabinet in the photo - Mackintosh's work embodied a new philosophy of design. His designs for furniture and other items, though eschewing excessive ornamentation, were meant to be works of art rather than merely utilitarian objects, tailored to each individual's needs and bringing beauty into everyday life. Among Mackintosh's best-known architectural works, Hill House in Helensburgh (built between 1902 and 1904), still contains the furniture and fittings designed by the artist and his wife, which illustrate their creative vision. Sadly, another of Mackintosh's iconic designs, and one of the city's landmarks, the building of the Glasgow School of Art was destroyed by fire in 2018.

Answer: stained glass

The figure of Louis Comfort Tiffany looms large over American Art Nouveau - so much that the US variant of the style is often referred to as "Tiffany Style". Tiffany - whose father was the founder of the famed New York company, Tiffany & Co. - began working with glass at the age of 24; in 1885, he set up his own glassmaking business, developing new techniques for the creation of beautiful objects such as vases and bowls. By the turn of the 20th century, his attention had focused mainly on the production of stained glass; the electric lamps with multicoloured glass shades that have become synonymous with his work were for the most part designed by Clara Driscoll, the head of the Women's Glass-Cutting Department (the "Tiffany Girls"). Tiffany's work was exhibited at the Paris World Fair in 1900, where his magnificent stained glass window, "The Flight of Souls", was awarded a gold medal.

The leading Art Nouveau architect in the US was Louis Sullivan, founder of the Chicago School and teacher of Frank Lloyd Wright. Sullivan designed some of the earliest examples of skyscrapers, such as the Guaranty Building (formerly Prudential Building) in Buffalo (NY), and the Wainwright Building in St. Louis (Missouri).

The beautiful stained glass window in the photo, titled "Hibiscus and Parrots" (1910-20), is part of the American Decorative Arts collection of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. The window employs Tiffany's trademark Favrile glass (a special kind of iridescent glass) to great effect.

Answer: Riga

At the end of the 19th century, Riga - Latvia's capital and one of the original members of the Hanseatic League - was one of the largest cities in the Russian Empire, with a growing population and prosperous economy. These conditions led to an expansion of the city outside its medieval boundaries; the city walls were demolished, and between 1910 and 1913, about 500 new buildings were built every year. Most of these new buildings, which had to conform to strict regulations to create a sense of coherence and harmony in the new neighbourhoods, were designed in the Art Nouveau style (called "Jūgendstils", corresponding to the German "Jugendstil", or "youth style"). The popularity of Art Nouveau in Riga was such that the style accounts for about one-third of the buildings (an estimated 350) located in the city centre.

Some of Riga's most famous Art Nouveau creations (mainly apartment buildings) are located along Alberta iela (Albert Street); most of them were designed by architect Mikhail Eisenstein (father of celebrated Russian film director Sergei), whose highly decorative style represents the earliest stage of Art Nouveau in Riga. The building in the photo (Alberta iela 8), designed by Eisenstein in 1903, is a popular tourist attraction. The historic centre of Riga, with its unique collection of Art Nouveau architecture, was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997.

Of the three cities listed as incorrect answers, Helsinki (the capital of Finland, which was never part of the Eastern Bloc) is a very important centre for Art Nouveau architecture; a few examples of the style are also found in Bucharest (Romania) and Belgrade (Serbia).

Answer: Gustav Klimt

Of all the artists mentioned in this quiz, Gustav Klimt is probably the one most familiar to the general public. His paintings, especially those from his "golden phase" - such as the ubiquitous "The Kiss" (1907-08) - are often reproduced on prints, stationery, and assorted gadgets. Behind the pop-culture phenomenon, however, lies an artist whose approach to art often proved controversial in his time. The group Klimt had co-founded in 1897, known as the Wiener Secession (Vienna Secession), had rebelled against traditional views of art, and Klimt's focus on the female form - often portrayed unclothed or partially clothed - shocked conservative viewers.

Although Klimt's early work was rather conventional, he quickly evolved towards more innovative modes of expression, which included the use of bold colours and gold leaf - inspired by the opulent Byzantine mosaics of Venice and Ravenna - and the juxtaposition of sinuous lines and dramatic geometric patterns, influenced by Japanese art. His "golden phase" brought Klimt critical and financial success, though nothing compared to the popularity gained by his work after his untimely death during the influenza pandemic of 1918. Some of his paintings have been sold for extremely high prices: the stunning "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I" (1907) shown in the photo was bought by American businessman Ronald Lauder for the staggering sum of $135 million. The painting hangs in Lauder's Neue Galerie in New York, a museum dedicated to early 20th-century art from Austria and Germany.

Some features of the Vienna Secession influenced the development of Art Deco in the years following WWII - in particular the emphasis on geometric volumes and straight lines in architectural designs, and the inspiration drawn from Asia, Mesoamerica and Oceania.

Alphonse Mucha was a French-Czech painter known for his beautiful theatrical posters, while Ödön Lechner (from Hungary) and Eliel Saarinen (from Finland) were both leading Art Nouveau architects.

Answer: Isadora Duncan

Short for "arts décoratifs" (decorative arts), Art Deco was at the same time a break with Art Nouveau and a development of the previous movement's most innovative features. In fact, even more so than Art Nouveau, Art Deco emphasized the role of architecture, design and applied arts, while painting and sculpture took a back seat. Though the movement was named after the "Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes" (International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts) held in Paris in 1925, the first examples of Art Deco date from at least ten years earlier. Once again, Paris found itself at the forefront of this new artistic trend, which lasted well into the 1930s.

Located in Paris's elegant Avenue Montaigne, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées was designed by Auguste Perret, and built between 1910 and 1913. It was the first time that reinforced concrete - the ground-breaking construction material that ushered a new era in architecture - had been used for a landmark building. With its clean, straight lines and geometric decoration, the theatre was markedly different from the lush ornamentation of Art Nouveau. Its façade was decorated by a series of bas-reliefs by sculptor Antoine Bourdelle: these early examples of Art Deco sculpture were inspired by American dancer Isadora Duncan, who revolutionized the art of dance with her emphasis on free, natural movements and Greek-style tunics (as shown by the bas-relief in the photo). In 1927, Duncan was killed when her scarf was caught in the spokes of one of the wheels of the car in which she was traveling.

Besides its artistic merits, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées's main claim to fame is the notorious world premiere of Igor Stravinsky's ballet "The Rite of Spring" on 29 May 1913 (less than two months after the theatre's inauguration), which culminated in a near-riot.

All the wrong answers are famous 20th-century dancers.

Answer: automobile

While the design of everyday objects, such as radios and household appliances (many of which were invented during those years) came into its own during the Art Deco era, the style is also associated with the luxury and opulence of the Jazz Age. Expensive materials were used to create unique pieces of jewelry, high fashion clothing, and extravagant interior decoration; ocean liners, trains, railway stations, banks, department stores were decorated and furnished in the new style, with painstaking attention to every detail. However, Art Deco found one of its most distinctive applications in the automobile industry. The luxury cars produced during that era - particularly before the industry was hit hard by the Great Depression - are veritable works of art, so it is not surprising that some of the most renowned designers in the Art Deco style were engaged in producing unique ornaments for those beauties on wheels.

During the Art Nouveau years, French glass designer René Lalique had distinguished himself for the exquisite beauty of his work, in particular his unique jewelry inspired by the natural world. In later years, he specialized in glass sculptures meant to be used as automobile hood ornaments (also known as radiator caps or car mascots). Very popular between the 1920s and the 1950s, these objects allowed car owners to personalize their vehicle. Though most hood ornaments - such as Rolls Royce's "Spirit of Ecstasy", or Jaguar's leaping feline - were cast in metal, glass ornaments were sought after by affluent people. Lalique started manufacturing hood ornaments made of opalescent glass in the 1920s, producing 29 different designs - most of them in the shape of animals. These mascots, marked with their creator's name, have become highly desirable collector's items. The Victoire, or "Spirit of the Wind", was first introduced in 1928; in the specimen shown in the photo the glass was tinted grey.

Answer: Chrysler Building

Symbols of modernity and financial prosperity, skyscrapers flourished during the Art Deco era, their towering silhouettes forever changing the skylines of American cities. The earliest skyscrapers, built in the last two decades of the 19th century, had between 10 and 20 floors - a far cry from what they would become in the 20th century thanks to technological advances such as the use of steel frames or reinforced concrete. The two main hubs for the construction of these awe-inspiring buildings were New York and Chicago, both densely-populated cities plagued by a scarcity of land; height restrictions and concerns about the impact of these modern-day towers on the urban landscape prevented a similar explosion in Europe.

Very few of the many skyscrapers built in the US in the first three decades of the 20th century enjoy the same iconic status as the Chrysler Building. Built between 1928 and 1930 to serve as the headquarters of the Chrysler Corporation, it was designed by architect William van Alens in a shape reminiscent of a ziggurat pyramid through a clever use of setbacks. Working together with Walter Chrysler, the company's founder, Van Alen added a number of striking architectural details - such as a frieze of hubcaps and fenders, radiator cap ornaments shaped like Mercury's winged helmet, and the steel eagles (a symbol of flight) shown in the photo - meant to evoke the company's automobiles and the age of machines. The most distinctive feature of the Chrysler Building, however, is its magnificent, steel-clad crown, decorated with bold geometric designs, and topped by a needle-like spire. With its 77 floors, and a height of 318.9 m (1,046 ft), the Chrysler Building was the world's tallest building for 11 months before it was surpassed by the Empire State Building (1931), and it is still the world's tallest steel-framed brick building. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1976.

All the buildings listed as incorrect answers are famous New York skyscrapers built in the Art Deco style.