Playful fairies, enchanting mermaids, and endless labyrinths of elegant line work!
Flowering Lines: Rare Art Nouveau Posters presents a vibrant selection of over 100 romantic, mystical, and intricate artworks from the Golden Age of vintage poster art. With commentary from historian and museum director Thomas Negovan, this deluxe, limited edition hardcover book features full-page, full-color, high-resolution images captured directly from the original artworks in the Century Guild museum archive.
Expanded Hardcover edition:
- Limited edition hardcover
- Large-format 9 in. x 12 in. book
- Foil stamping and spot varnish
- 128 pp, full color throughout
- All high-resolution, original source images
- Edition of 3000
Expanded Slipcase edition:
- Limited edition hardcover
- Presented in cloth-wrapped, foil stamped slipcase
- Each book hand signed on tipped-in vellum sheet
- High-quality fabric slipcase debossed in gold with Koloman Moser's 1895 owl-and-quill illustration
Century Guild books feature brand-new, ultra-high-resolution photographs captured directly from the original artworks in our museum archive. Our standard is to present these artworks in unprecedented detail, and incorporate new research drawn from rare historical periodicals and reference materials to ensure unparalleled authenticity and quality.
About Flowering Lines
When we think of Psychedelic Art, our minds are most likely transported to San Francisco, the 1960s, and the Summer of Love—but the origins of this hypnotic, curvilinear art style reach much further back in time.
In the late 19th century, the art world responded to the rise of ever-encroaching technology by creating a revolutionary style that fused nature with sinuous lines and mythological or mystical themes: Art Nouveau. This visionary movement forever transformed the visual arts, urging viewers to reconnect with the natural world and embrace its beauty with passion and reverence.
From anime to video games, from science fiction to fantasy, Art Nouveau’s influence has shaped over a century of imaginative visuals. Exploring artworks of this captivating era allows us to see art and the natural world through a richer, more meaningful lens, deepening our appreciation for and unlocking profound insights into humanity’s enduring relationship with creativity and the environment.
Blending romance and psychedelia, in Flowering Lines we examine foundational artists of the movement like Alphonse Mucha, Eugène Grasset, and their popular French contemporaries, alongside deeply obscure artworks from often-overlooked regions like Russia, Germany, and Italy, and the evocative works of lesser-known visionaries such as the magickal occultist Marcel-Lenoir and the incomparable Ethel Reed—an American woman who achieved international fame for her striking designs, only to tragically fade into obscurity.
