Stunning Art Nouveau Book Covers

It’s no secret that we at Books on the Wall love beautiful book covers. We especially love how book covers enhance the experience of reading a book by distilling its mood into a work of art.

Book covers not only reflect various themes within a book, but they are also perfect illustrations, time capsules really, of art that was popular when a particular book was published. Since one of our favorite art movements is Art Nouveau, we thought we’d do a little research into Art Nouveau book covers.

Art Nouveau was a lifestyle/art movement popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s. We say “lifestyle/art” because elements of art nouveau were found everywhere: in hand-illustrated art, in commercial graphic design, in interior decorating, in architecture, in clothing styles and patterns—really, everywhere. The movement combined natural, flowy elements with geometrical, industrial motifs. Even if you haven’t heard of Art Nouveau, you’d recognize the work of prolific artists like Alfonse Mucha, Gustav Klimt, and Louis Comfort Tiffany (of Tiffany lamp fame). Art Nouveau was followed by the more famous Art Deco period.

Here is just a sample of the stunning Art Nouveau book covers we found. Head to Books on the Wall on Pinterest for more!

Read more about the influence of Art Nouveau on book cover design at Publishers’ Bindings Online.