First exhibited to the English-speaking public in 1995 at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York, the diverse and highly innovative designs of Dutch decorative artists, 1880-1940, are the subject of this first, extensive reference book in the English language. It explores the Dutch contribution to Art Nouveau, Arts & Crafts, Art Deco and Modernism. The book is divided into two parts. The first is a thematic analysis of the Nieuwe Kunst, the Amsterdam and Hague Schools, De Stijl and Functionalism. The second is a biographical dictionary and lexicon. The publication coincides with an exhibition curated by Frans Leidelmeijer at the Stedelijk Museum (until 15 June) of Dutch interiors of the same period covered by this book.
Titus M. Eliëns, Marjan Groot and Frans Leidelmeijer, Dutch Decorative Arts, 1880-1940, (Battledore/V+K, Amsterdam, 1997), 254pp, 75 b/w ills, 150 col. ills, $60 (hb) ISBN 0962711020.