Art Nouveau developed a new, international style in architecture and handicrafts from the 1880s onward, which sought to replace the forms of historicism with plant ornamentation and functional construction. This comprehensive reform of the arts produced rich floral ornaments in Paris and Brussels and became an expression of national identity in Barcelona. This volume illuminates the origins of this current and its manifestations in France, Belgium, and Spain.

Thomas Hauffe is an art historian. He wrote his doctorate on the "New German Design" of the 1980s and has published numerous articles on the history of design and art.