Top 100 · Art Nouveau
The 100 artists who brought nature into modernity
From Klimt to Mucha, from Brussels to Vienna: painting, poster, symbolism and decorative arts around 1900.
Art Nouveau appeared at the end of the 19th century with a broad ambition: to bring together architecture, furniture, illustration, posters, jewelry and painting in the same environment. Its flexible line comes from plants, but its subjects also speak of the city, desire, dreams and worries of a rapidly changing world.
Painting, poster, symbolism, illustration and applied arts.
Understand before classifying
Art Nouveau is a network of homes, not a single style
In Vienna, Klimt transforms portraiture and allegory through gold, motif and frontality. In Paris, Mucha, Grasset, Chéret and Toulouse-Lautrec make posters a public art. In Brussels, Toorop, Khnopff, Delville and the decorative arts give the line a symbolic significance. In Brussels, Toorop, Khnopff, Delville and the decorative arts give the line a symbolic significance. In Glasgow, Barcelona, Helsinki, Munich and Prague, the same ambitions take local forms.
Nature provides a vocabulary of stems, flowers, wings and hair, but the movement is not limited to the arabesque. He inherits symbolism, Japonism, the Arts and Crafts movement, the Nabis and Pre-Raphaelitism. He also prepared expressionism, abstraction and several avant-gardes of the 20th century.
This Top 100 combines historical influence, plastic quality, decorative importance and geographical diversity. It brings together painters, poster artists and illustrators who contributed to this broader visual culture around 1900.
Trace
The line becomes structure, rhythm and signature
Soft, flat contours and plant motifs organize the image. In the poster as in the painting, the line catches the eye before unfolding the story.
Reunite
The line between fine and decorative arts is blurring
Painting, typography, stained glass, furniture and architecture participate in the same project: building a coherent environment rather than an isolated object.
Toggle
The decor already opens the way to the avant-gardes
In Klimt, Schiele, Kupka, Jawlensky or Klee, the simplification of forms and the autonomy of color gradually lead towards expressionism and abstraction.
The essentials
The ten artists who give the movement its visual identity
Viennese gold, poster, symbolism and Nabi intimacy: ten entry points into modernity around 1900.
#1
Gustav Klimt
Gustav Klimt transforms the body, portrait and ornament at the heart of Viennese modernity.
See the Gustav Klimt collection
#2
Alphonse Mucha
Alphonse Mucha unites symbolism, synthesis of forms and decorative renewal in central and eastern Europe.
See the Alphonse Mucha collection
#3
Jan Toorop
Jan Toorop expands Art Nouveau towards new research into line, color, symbol and modern life.
See the Jan Toorop collection
#4
Fernand Khnopff
Fernand Khnopff combines symbolism, decorative line and spiritual research in one of the most inventive centers of Art Nouveau.
See the Fernand Khnopff collection
#5
Gustave Moreau
Gustave Moreau brings color, posters, intimacy and decorative arts into dialogue in French modernity at the end of the century.
See the Gustave Moreau collection
#6
Ferdinand Hodler
Ferdinand Hodler unites symbolism, synthesis of forms and decorative renewal in central and eastern Europe.
See the Ferdinand Hodler collection
#7
Odilon Redon
Odilon Redon brings color, posters, intimacy and decorative arts into dialogue in French modernity at the end of the century.
See the Odilon Redon collection
#8
Pierre Bonnard
Pierre Bonnard brings color, posters, intimacy and decorative arts into dialogue in French modernity at the end of the century.
See the Pierre Bonnard collection
#9
Édouard Vuillard
Édouard Vuillard brings color, posters, intimacy and decorative arts into dialogue in French modernity at the end of the century.
See the Édouard Vuillard collection
#10
Maurice Denis
Maurice Denis brings color, posters, intimacy and decorative arts into dialogue in French modernity at the end of the century.
See the Maurice Denis collectionChapter I · Ranks 11 to 25
Symbolism, Nabis and modern color
The shapes become simpler, the decor becomes emancipated and the image becomes the place of an inner experience.
#11
Felix Vallotton
Félix Vallotton brings color, posters, intimacy and decorative arts into dialogue in French modernity at the end of the century.
See the Félix Vallotton collection
#12
Louis Anquetin
Louis Anquetin brings color, posters, intimacy and decorative arts into dialogue in French modernity at the end of the century.
See the Louis Anquetin collection
#13
Emile Bernard
Émile Bernard brings color, posters, intimacy and decorative arts into dialogue in French modernity at the end of the century.
See the Émile Bernard collection
#14
Theo van Rysselberghe
Théo van Rysselberghe combines symbolism, decorative line and spiritual research in one of the most inventive centers of Art Nouveau.
See the Théo van Rysselberghe collection
#15
George Lemmen
Georges Lemmen combines symbolism, decorative line and spiritual research in one of the most inventive centers of Art Nouveau.
See the Georges Lemmen collection
#16
Anna Boch
Anna Boch combines symbolism, decorative line and spiritual research in one of the most inventive centers of Art Nouveau.
See the Anna Boch collection
#17
Paul Gauguin
Paul Gauguin brings color, posters, intimacy and decorative arts into dialogue in French modernity at the end of the century.
See the Paul Gauguin collection
#18
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh broadens Art Nouveau towards new research on line, color, symbol and modern life.
See the Vincent van Gogh collection
#19
Georges Seurat
Georges Seurat brings color, posters, intimacy and decorative arts into dialogue in French modernity at the end of the century.
See the Georges Seurat collection
#20
Paul Signac
Paul Signac brings color, posters, intimacy and decorative arts into dialogue in French modernity at the end of the century.
See the Paul Signac collection
#21
Henri Edmond Cross
Henri-Edmond Cross brings color, posters, intimacy and decorative arts into dialogue in French modernity at the end of the century.
See the Henri-Edmond Cross collection
#22
Henri Fantin-Latour
Henri Fantin-Latour brings together color, posters, intimacy and decorative arts in French modernity at the end of the century.
See the Henri Fantin-Latour collection
#23
Henri Le Sidaner
Henri Le Sidaner brings together color, posters, intimacy and decorative arts in French modernity at the end of the century.
See the Henri Le Sidaner collection
#24
Henri Lebasque
Henri Lebasque brings color, posters, intimacy and decorative arts into dialogue in French modernity at the end of the century.
See the Henri Lebasque collection
#25
Albert Besnard
Albert Besnard brings color, posters, intimacy and decorative arts into dialogue in French modernity at the end of the century.
See the Albert Besnard collectionChapter II · Ranks 26 to 50
From Vienna to the first avant-gardes
Art Nouveau continues into expressionism, Fauvism, Cubism and emerging abstraction.
#26
Henri-Jean Guillaume Martin
Henri-Jean Guillaume Martin brings color, posters, intimacy and decorative arts into dialogue in French modernity at the end of the century.
See the Henri-Jean Guillaume Martin collection
#27
Egon Schiele
Egon Schiele transforms the body, portrait and ornament at the heart of Viennese modernity.
See the Egon Schiele collection
#28
Alexej von Jawlensky
Alexej von Jawlensky unites symbolism, synthesis of forms and decorative renewal in central and eastern Europe.
See the Alexej von Jawlensky collection
#29
August Macke
August Macke unites symbolism, synthesis of forms and decorative renewal in Central and Eastern Europe.
See the August Macke collection
#30
Franz Marc
Franz Marc unites symbolism, synthesis of forms and decorative renewal in central and eastern Europe.
See the Franz Marc collection
#31
Paul Klee
Paul Klee unites symbolism, synthesis of forms and decorative renewal in central and eastern Europe.
See the Paul Klee collection
#32
Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse brings together color, posters, intimacy and decorative arts in French modernity at the end of the century.
See the Henri Matisse collection
#33
André Derain
André Derain brings color, posters, intimacy and decorative arts into dialogue in French modernity at the end of the century.
See the André Derain collection
#34
Raoul Dufy
Raoul Dufy brings color, posters, intimacy and decorative arts into dialogue in French modernity at the end of the century.
See the Raoul Dufy collection
#35
Amedeo Modigliani
Amedeo Modigliani expands Art Nouveau towards new research on line, color, symbol and modern life.
See the Amedeo Modigliani collection
#36
Frantisek Kupka
František Kupka brings color, posters, intimacy and decorative arts into dialogue in French modernity at the end of the century.
Read František Kupka's biography on Wikipedia
#37
Joaquin Torres Garcia
Joaquin Torres Garcia expands Art Nouveau towards new research on line, color, symbol and modern life.
See the Joaquin Torres Garcia collection
#38
Umberto Boccioni
Umberto Boccioni expands Art Nouveau towards new research on line, color, symbol and modern life.
See the Umberto Boccioni collection
#39
Francis Picabia
Francis Picabia brings color, posters, intimacy and decorative arts into dialogue in French modernity at the end of the century.
See the Francis Picabia collection
#40
Fernand Léger
Fernand Léger brings color, posters, intimacy and decorative arts into dialogue in French modernity at the end of the century.
See the Fernand Léger collection
#41
Juan Grey
Juan Gris expands Art Nouveau towards new research on line, color, symbol and modern life.
See the Juan Gris collection
#42
Albert Gleizes
Albert Gleizes brings color, posters, intimacy and decorative arts into dialogue in French modernity at the end of the century.
See the Albert Gleizes collection
#43
Lyonel Feininger
Lyonel Feininger unites symbolism, synthesis of forms and decorative renewal in central and eastern Europe.
See the Lyonel Feininger collection
#44
Lovis Corinth
Lovis Corinth unites symbolism, synthesis of forms and decorative renewal in central and eastern Europe.
See the Lovis Corinth collection
#45
Max Slevogt
Max Slevogt unites symbolism, synthesis of forms and decorative renewal in central and eastern Europe.
See the Max Slevogt collection
#46
Lesser Ury
Lesser Ury unites symbolism, synthesis of forms and decorative renewal in Central and Eastern Europe.
See the Lesser Ury collection
#47
Giuseppe De Nittis
Giuseppe De Nittis broadens Art Nouveau towards new research on line, color, symbol and modern life.
See the Giuseppe De Nittis collection
#48
Federico Zandomeneghi
Federico Zandomeneghi expands Art Nouveau towards new research on line, color, symbol and modern life.
See the Federico Zandomeneghi collection
#49
Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch connects landscape, symbols and cultural identity in a Nordic version of modernity.
See the Edvard Munch collection
#50
Henri Rousseau
Henri Rousseau brings together color, posters, intimacy and decorative arts in French modernity at the end of the century.
See the Henri Rousseau collectionChapter III · Ranks 51 to 75
Posters, Pre-Raphaelitism and Mediterranean Modernisms
The Art Nouveau line runs between street, book, living room, theater and national traditions.
#51
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Posters, cabarets and nocturnal portraits become, beneath his nervous trait, an incomparable chronicle of modern Parisian life.
See the Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec collection
#52
Aubrey Beardsley
Its incisive black and white transforms the Art Nouveau line into a sensual, ironic and instantly recognizable arabesque.
See the Aubrey Beardsley collection
#53
Jules Chéret
A pioneer of the color illustrated poster, it gives Parisian streets a joyful rhythm made of movement, typography and silhouettes.
See the Jules Chéret collection
#54
Eugene Grasset
Illustration, poster, furniture and decorative arts allow him to construct a coherent language inspired by nature and ancient arts.
See the Eugène Grasset collection
#55
Georges de Feure
Its dreamy women, posters and interiors combine graphic elegance, symbolism and decorative refinement.
See the Georges de Feure collection
#56
Henri Privat-Livemont
Its posters with female figures and plant ornaments are among the purest expressions of the Belgian Art Nouveau line.
See the Henri Privat-Livemont collection
#57
Theophilus Steinlen
Cats, workers and scenes from Montmartre connect the effectiveness of the poster to generous and direct social observation.
See the Théophile Steinlen collection
#58
Manuel Orazi
Its precious graphics, hieratic figures and floral decorations give fin-de-siecle illustration a mysterious atmosphere.
See the Manuel Orazi collection
#59
Franz von Stuck
Myths, desire and monumental figures unfold in a dark painting whose frames fully participate in the work.
See the Franz von Stuck collection
#60
Arnold Boecklin
Its mythological and silent landscapes nourish European symbolism and the disturbing imagination of the end of the century.
See the Arnold Böcklin collection
#61
Jean Delville
Spiritualist ideas, idealized bodies and ambitious compositions give Belgian symbolism a philosophical dimension.
See the Jean Delville collection
#62
Leon Spilliaert
His self-portraits, dikes and nocturnal interiors use line and emptiness to create a deeply introspective modernity.
See the Léon Spilliaert collection
#63
Richard Gerstl
His free touch and his psychological portraits bring to Klimt's Vienna a more raw voice, already close to expressionism.
See the Richard Gerstl collection
#64
John william waterhouse
Literary heroines, water, flowers and fabrics extend the Pre-Raphaelite imagination into a very popular narrative painting.
See the John William Waterhouse collection
#65
Edward Burne-Jones
His elongated figures and medieval stories shape a decorative universe which will strongly influence Art Nouveau.
See the Edward Burne-Jones collection
#66
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Female portraits, poetry and floral symbols make him one of the great precursors of fin-de-siecle aesthetics.
See the Dante Gabriel Rossetti collection
#67
Ford Madox Brown
Its precise realism, its frank colors and its historical subjects prepare several narrative ambitions of the Pre-Raphaelites.
See the Ford Madox Brown collection
#68
Giovanni Segantini
The divisionist touch transforms the Alps, animals and motherhood into luminous visions loaded with symbols.
See the Giovanni Segantini collection
#69
Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo
He combines divisionism and social commitment in monumental compositions where light builds a true collective consciousness.
See the Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo collection
#70
Adolfo Hohenstein
Opera posters, advertising and costumes install the Italian Stile Liberty in an elegant synthesis of line, color and typography.
See the Adolfo Hohenstein collection
#71
Ramon Casas
Portraits, cafes and posters give Catalan modernism a direct elegance, attentive to urban life.
See the Ramon Casas collection
#72
Santiago Rusiñol
Painter, writer and cultural animator, he makes the garden and landscape spaces of silence at the heart of Catalan modernism.
See the Santiago Rusiñol collection
#73
Isidre Nonell
Its marginal figures, constructed by dense material, bring a singular social gravity to Barcelona modernism.
See the Isidre Nonell collection
#74
Joaquim Mir
Its intense and almost abstract color transforms the Mediterranean landscape into a luminous experience.
See the Joaquim Mir collection
#75
Julio Romero de Torres
Her female portraits combine symbolism, Andalusian identity and dark atmosphere in a very personal iconography.
See the Julio Romero collection by TorresChapter IV · Ranks 76 to 100
North, Central Europe and international traffic
Myths, landscapes, illustration and portrait show the geographical extent of this decorative modernity.
#76
Dario de Regoyos
Traveler and colorist, he connects impressionism, pointillism and Spanish modernity in landscapes of great freshness.
See the Dario de Regoyos collection
#77
Akseli Gallen-Kallela
The Kalevala, Nordic landscapes and powerful design give Finnish Art Nouveau a national identity.
See the Akseli Gallen-Kallela collection
#78
Vilhelm Hammershøi
Its silent interiors, subtle grays and back figures offer a stripped-down and meditative version of Nordic modernity.
See the Vilhelm Hammershøi collection
#79
Hugo Simberg
Wounded angels, demons and familiar landscapes bring the fantastic into a painting that is as simple as it is enigmatic.
See the Hugo Simberg collection
#80
Theodor kittelsen
Its trolls and landscapes give Norwegian legends a graphic form that has become inseparable from the national imagination.
See the Theodor Kittelsen collection
#81
Magnus Enckell
Body, light and spirituality compose clear, sensitive and often monumental Finnish symbolism.
See the Magnus Enckell collection
#82
Stanisław Wyspiaransski
Pastels, stained glass windows, theater and decoration make him one of the total figures of the Young Poland movement.
See the Stanislaw Wyspiahnski collection
#83
Józef Mehoffer
Its stained glass windows and portraits combine decorative drawing, chromatic richness and symbolism in a European synthesis.
See the Józef Mehoffer collection
#84
Jacek Malczewski
Self-portraits, myths and national history intertwine in dense and theatrical Polish symbolism.
See the Jacek Malczewski collection
#85
Władysław Çanlewiÿski
Close to Gauguin, it simplifies shapes and colors to give the Breton and Polish landscapes a calm presence.
See the Władysław Çanlewiÿski collection
#86
Viktor Vasnetsov
Tales, legends and great decorations give the Russian imagination an immediately readable monumentality.
See the Viktor Vasnetsov collection
#87
Mikhail Nesterov
Spiritual figures and silent landscapes construct a contemplative vision of Russia on the eve of the 20th century.
See the Mikhail Nesterov collection
#88
Nicholas Roerich
Mountains, ancient architecture and spiritual visions give his painting an international symbolic scale.
See the Nicholas Roerich collection
#89
Leon Bakst
His costumes and sets for the Ballets Russes unleash color, pattern and movement on the European scene.
See the Léon Bakst collection
#90
Howard Pyle
His art of illustration combines clear storytelling, strong silhouettes and a sense of decor in American visual culture.
See the Howard Pyle collection
#91
Giovanni Boldini
His social portraits stretch fabrics and gestures in a quick touch that embodies the elegance of the Belle Époque.
See the Giovanni Boldini collection
#92
Paul Sérusier
The Talisman and its teaching make color laid flat a founding principle for the Nabis.
See the Paul Sérusier collection
#93
Paul Ranson
Plant Arabesques, myths and decorative arts give his Nabi work a natural proximity to Art Nouveau.
See the Paul Ranson collection
#94
Georges Lacombe
Wood painting and sculpture transform landscapes and figures into synthetic, powerful and decorative forms.
See the Georges Lacombe collection
#95
Ker-Xavier Roussel
Its luminous mythologies install fauns and nymphs in a modern landscape inherited from the Nabi aesthetic.
See the Ker-Xavier Roussel collection
#96
Eugene Carrière
Her figures emerge from a monochrome mist which gives portraiture and motherhood an inner intensity.
See the Eugène Carrière collection
#97
John Singer Sargent
Virtuosity of the brush, psychology and brilliance of the fabrics make him one of the great international portraitists of the Belle Époque.
See the John Singer Sargent collection
#98
Anders Zorn
His quick touch captures water, skin and faces with an confidence that renews the Nordic portrait.
See the Anders Zorn collection
#99
Carl Larsson
His domestic watercolors make the home, furniture and family life a modern aesthetic ideal.
See the Carl Larsson collection
#100
Maurice Prendergast
Its crowds, parks and beaches are organized in colorful mosaics where urban modernity becomes pure decorative rhythm.
See the Maurice Prendergast collectionSources and extensions
Continue the Art Nouveau tour
Biographical and stylistic landmarks were compared to museum collections and art history resources.
Art Nouveau made modernity habitable
These hundred artists show that movement is not just about a few decorative curves. It transforms the relationship between image, object and space, while giving a new form to dreams, bodies and the tensions of modern life. Its short period of development is enough to lastingly modify the poster, the portrait, the architecture and the applied arts.
To choose a reproduction, start from the desired atmosphere: Klimt brings gold and presence, Mucha the line and rhythm, Khnopff the silence, Redon the dream, Bonnard the intimacy and Toulouse-Lautrec the urban energy. Each sheet then allows you to continue the discovery artist by artist.
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