Which City Was the Center of the International Art World in 1900?

There are several reasons why Paris was the center of the international art world in 1900:

The art gallery L’Art Nouveau was exhibiting this new style.
Hector Guimard, an Art Nouveua designer, was commissioned to design the entrances to the city’s new subway system.
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was active in the graphic arts and designed poster in Art Nouveau style with Japanese influences. Art Nouveau would have eventually spread to the world, but the World’s Fair made it happen much quicker.

Exposition Universelle

Exposition Universelle was held in Paris in 1900. Everywhere people went, there were examples of Art Nouveau. At this World’s Fair, escalators and talking films were introduced, Campbell’s Soup received a gold medal, and a diesel engine that runs on peanut oil was exhibited. The Exposition started on April 15th and lasted for almost seven months. The 1900 Olympics also started on May 14th as part of the Exposition.

Understanding the International Art World in 1900

It is important to understand exactly what was going on in the International art world and how France influenced it.

Impressionism

Impressionism started as a reaction to the formal and structured style of painting. One particular painting, Dejeuner sur l'herbe by Edouard Manet, created a scandal in 1863.

Some of the major artists of the Impressionistic movement were:

Vincent Van Gogh
Paul Gauguin
Paul Cezanne
Pierre Auguste Renoir
Georges Seurat
Henri de Toulouse Lautrec

These artists were the forerunners of Modern Art. They painted outside to study the effect of light on a subject and used strong colors.

Fauvism

Fauvism comes from the French word “fauve” which means “wild animals.”

This style had strong, vivid colors. This took the work of artists like Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin to the next level. The designs were simpler and a bit wild with the colors.

Some artists of this period were:

Andre Derain
Henri Matisse
Kees van Dongen
Raoul Dufy
Maurice de Vlaminch

Germany had its own version of Fauvism called Expressionism.

Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau is French for “New Art.” This period lasted from 1880 to 1910. It is a very decorative style with flowing lines, whiplash curves, and non-geometric shapes.

It was found in many things:

Jewelry
Furniture
Architecture
Glass
Illustrations

Individual artists expressing themselves in the Art Nouveau style included:

Hector Guimard
Emile Galle
Victor Horta
Louis Comfort Tiffany
Antoni Gaudi
Gustav Klimt
Rene Lalique
Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Alphonse Mucha

France and French culture therefore had a major influence on the international art world during 1900 (as well as the periods before and after) and is considered to have been a major player in the art world during the 1900 time period.