Today, at the beginning of the 21st century, Art Nouveau is an artistic style that is cherished by European citizens, as was shown by the fact that the success of Barcelona’s International Gaudí Year 2002 was reproduced in various places throughout Europe. Not all can be mentioned here, but examples like Nancy’s Any Emile Gallé 2004 or Glasgow’s Mackintosh Festival 2006, as well as those of Bad Nauheim and La Chaux-de-Fonds, which carried out intense activity around their heritages between 2005 and 2006, demonstrate the interest in Art Nouveau throughout the continent.

But it was not always like this. In the middle decades of the 20th century, great disinterest, if not disregard, reigned for this artistic trend. In fact, even a few years ago, art and architecture faculties quickly dismissed Art Nouveau and barely showed it any interest in courses, sweeping it to one side as a sort of fleeting “fever”, the result of European fin de siècle decadence and opulence. During these years, many architectural Art Nouveau gems were demolished to make way for modern buildings and many leading works were lost forever.

We are now beginning to recover an awareness of the artistic value of this heritage, which dates back to the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. It is therefore particularly important today that we combine our efforts to protect and improve these monuments. Today is the time to assume the challenge of newly and fully promoting this heritage, which must not be lost in the shadows again. Now that we are facing the new Europe of the 21st century with hope and ambition, the European Art Nouveau Route, which Barcelona initiated in 2000, is a project that aims to show how this movement combined the cultural activity of a Europe that was leaving behind the 19th century and facing the 20th century with hope and dreams.

It is known as Art Nouveau, Modern Style, Jugendstil, Sezession, Floreale or, as we call it in Catalan-speaking lands, Modernisme, contemporaneous art movements that developed at the turn of the 20th century. It is true that each one had its own defining features and characteristics; therefore, it is important that each preserves its name. But they also shared important similarities and connections between them, to such an extent that we can talk about a single major European movement that was both rich and diverse.

Whatever the case, each was based on a desire to break with the past, to overcome traditional academic canons and seek new, original concepts and forms that looked to the future. At the same time, however, they were also movements inspired by the past and each country’s specific traditions, thus striving to recover their own history and legends. This was one of the main reasons why each movement was different. This apparent contradiction was also carried over into the way works were carried out. On the one hand, new techniques and materials could be used thanks to constant investigation but, on the other hand, there was also a painstaking recovery of ancient artisan traditions in ironwork, glass, carpentry, ceramics and other fields.

Another common feature of Europe’s different Art Nouveau movements was an identification with nature, an approach that went much further than the use of forms and materials, because it was in fact a firm commitment to the quality of life and health of citizens. This can be especially seen in architecture, where natural light and the possibilities of ventilation was maximised to the full in each building and room. It might also seem contradictory that all the new technologies of the day were being introduced at the time, such as gas, electric lighting, elevators, running water and sewage systems, etc. But today we know that a quality of life implies a wise balance between a respect for nature and the use of cutting-edge technologies. In this way, these modernists were indeed pioneers.   

Finally, all the Art Nouveau movements were distinguished by a great ability for teamwork, carrying out the most complex tasks with a speed and coordination that are worthy of admiration today. This was accompanied by a constant exchange of experiences and ideas that knew no borders, from Scandinavia to Sicily, from Hungary to Scotland. In this sense, Art Nouveau was a precedent for the spirit of transnational cooperation and friendship that we are building today for all with the European Union. We in Barcelona hope that the European Art Nouveau Route is a further step towards a united, diverse, cultured and caring Europe.