Commentary written and narrated by Edwin Mullins
Towards the end of the 19th century Art Nouveau, a radical and revolutionary concept in art and design, swept through Europe and flourished until the outbreak of the First World War. Highly decorative, decadent even, the ' New Style ' was to have a liberating effect on the whole of 20thcentury art and architecture.
Foremost amongst Art Nouveau painters was Gustav Klimt. Born in 1862 in Vienna, he was one of the founders of the Viennese Secession, the Austrian manifestation of Art Nouveau. His dreamily erotic female portraits, forboding allegories and sad, sensuous landscapes reflect the atmosphere of the period, Austria's ' belle epoque ', more strikingly than any other artist of the time.
Directed by JEAN-LOUIS fournier An RM production