Art nouveau to ‘triumphant modernism’

The decorative, rhythmic style of art nouveau was a formative influence on Walter Cook. He learned about the style from Nikolaus Pevsner’s influential book Pioneers of Modern Design and the erotic illustrations of British artist Aubrey Beardsley (1872–98).

Art nouveau flourished in the Western world between 1890 and 1910, and products in the style quickly became popular in New Zealand. Walter located fine examples in Wellington second-hand shops in the 1960s.

Walter saw a link between art nouveau and modernism.

‘These artefacts, it seemed to me, were definitely the precursors of triumphant modernism. They had a functional simplicity comparable to contemporary Swedish designs for stainless steel – except for their idiosyncratic ornamentation.’

Text taken from exhibition Walter Cook: A Collector's Quest 2012.