Baltic Nouveau
Craft and Design 1890 - 1910
13 May - 23 July
Special Exhibitions Gallery
Free admission
This exhibition of works drawn from the State Art Collection and private Western Australian collections provides a view of late nineteenth and early twentieth century northern European and Scandinavian craft and design. The ceramics, furniture, textiles, glass and metalwork are from the same period as the graphics in the Gallery's concurrent 'Dance Hall Days' exhibition, and they manifest a partciular Nordic expression of the period's characteristic Art Nouveau style.
Art Nouveau had developed in Europe during the 1890s and was articulated through architecture, graphic design, applied arts, painting and sculpture. Its expression of nature through unified organic design gave designers in many countries a new and effective way to interpret native flora and fauna and to express regional or national identity. Other variations on the style, such as Jugendstil (in Germany) and the Vienna Secession (in Austria) influenced Scandinavian design, building on the revival of Vikin design that had been popular since the 1870s. This cross-flow of styles revitalised traditional applied arts throughout northern and eastern Europe, ushering in Modernism in cities as culturally diverse as Helsinki, St Petersberg, Vilnius, Prague and Zagreb.
The design reform movements of the late nineteenth century had gathered sympathetic adherents among Scandinavian craft and design associations seeking to revitalise their traditional craft industries in the service of Modernism and the expression of nationalism. Art Nouveau provided new ways to articulate the strong physical and emotional connection to nature that was expressed through music, literature, architecture, design and the visual arts in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. Designers pursued an original synthesis of past and present that enhanced the self-identity of each country and promoted national pride in tradition and respect for quality craftsmanship.
A program of interpretive activities and events is scheduled to maximise the visitor's understanding and enjoyment of this unique exhibition.