The Art Nouveau movement was of international proportions that developed throughout the 1880s and 1890s. The name came from the Maison de l'Art Nouveau, an interior design gallery opened in Paris in 1896 to endorse modern artistic concepts. However, it had various names throughout Europe and one of the most frequently used in France was the English term, ‘Modern Style’, highlighting the English origins of the movement.

The style was noted for its juxtaposition to the historic focus of the 19^th century, with emphasis on elaborate detail reminiscent of the Symbolists and a particular attraction towards Celtic art and Japanese art forms. A decorative style was employed, featuring irregular lines commonly illustrated in twisting plants, or the flowing tendrils of a woman’s hair.

Art Nouveau flourished in England due to its progressive Arts and Crafts movement, but it was globally popular in various forms and is most effectively displayed in the decorative arts such as interior design, glasswork and jewellery.

Primary examples of the movement included the English illustrators, Aubrey Beardsley and Walter Crane, Alphonse Mucha, Antonio Gaudí, Hector Guimard, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Austrian painter Gustav Klimt.

The themes were predominantly symbolic and often erotic, as can be witnessed in posters and illustrations as well as many paintings and sculptures of the period. Despite the movement not lasting beyond 1914, it was instrumental in the development of abstract art.