Commerce & Collectives - Introduction

Exhibitions were essential showcases for Art Nouveau, particularly the world trade fairs – a “form of 19th century madness”, according to Gustave Flaubert. Artistic colonies sprung up in Europe, inspired by the Arts & Crafts movement. Organizations providing a commercial hub for artists and designers included the Wiener Werkstätte (from 1903) in Austria led by Joseph Hoffman and Koloman Moser and the Vereinigte Werkstätten für Kunst im Handwerk in Munich (from 1897), to which Hermann Obrist, Richard Riemerschmid, Bruno Paul and Peter Behrens were attached. Architect designers were also hired by firms to inject a fashionable spirit into everyday wares. In London, a key retailer created one of the names by which Art Nouveau became known, stile Liberty.