Publisher's Synopsis
As Paris stood at the cusp of the 20 th century in the advent of the turmoils of the First World War, it entered a golden age of affluence and artistic creativity the Belle Epoque. This was the Paris of artists such as Bonnard, Rodin, Seurat and Vuillard, as well as writers and musicians such as Debussy, Maupassant and Zola. It also became the home to well known cultural figures from abroad such as Henry James, Alice B Tolkas, Whistler and Picasso. The Eiffel Tower had just been built and the Moulin Rouge was in its heyday Paris with its café life, fine restaurants, cabarets and its modern department stores was the cosmopolitan capital of pleasure and culture.
Despite the continued celebration of Parisian art, architecture of the Belle Epoque has been largely neglected. It is now only known for the Art Nouveau designs of Guimard s Metro entrances and restaurants such as Maxim s. This book provides the first comprehensive overview of the period, connecting the medievalism of Viollet–le–Duc, the classical traditions of the Ecole des Beaux Arts and early developments in metal and concrete construction with modern pioneers like Auguste Perret, de Baudot and Sauvage. Including the exuberant designs of the Ritz style alongside the work of many now little known architects, Parisian Architecture of the Belle Epoque is a thorough and visually sumptuous account of this under exposed period of architecture.
