The history of graphic design and it’s development in the Twentieth century is deeply rooted in the English Arts and Crafts movement around 1890, which later influenced the short period of Art Nouveau. The Art Nouveau movement was most prominent in France, Belgium, Italy and Spain (specifically in Cataluna, an area of considerable French influence) from 1890 until about 1905.

The style is characterized by a heavy influence from nature — flowing lines, aggressive curves and organic shapes — and the belief in unified design, in which artists and architects should see projects as a whole piece and have a hand in the design of everything from the structure to furnishings. The commission of the style, especially in France, was unique in that Art Nouveau’s main clientele were middle-class shop owners and small manufacturers — “new money”, so to speak — as opposed to large wealthy families or state-funded endeavors. This resulted in Art Nouveau being considered a more personal, social style, frequently employed in cafes, music halls and residential complexes.

The Porte Dauphine Metro station enclosure, designed by Guimard in 1899. One of three such enclosures, and the only one in its original location.

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In Paris, the main representative of the Art Nouveau style was Hector Guimard. Perhaps most remembered for the avant-garde Paris Metro enclosures designed for the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle, he enjoyed a relatively brief period of success. Although a gifted architect and pioneer in the movement, Guimard struggled to maintain prominence through clients and commissions. The movement’s eventual sharp decline in continental Europe didn’t help matters either. With the arrival of Modernism, the Art Nouveau style and buildings became expendable as artistic tastes changed, often regarded as vulgar and exhibitionist. Ultimately, a large number of buildings designed by Guimard have been demolished, as was the case with many innovative buildings that didn’t follow the convention of later styles.

Early Life & Career

Hector Guimard was born in Lyon, France in 1867. Unfortunately, much of Guimard’s family life remains a mystery. He was a very private person, and not much is known about the relationships with his father or brother, or even what prompted them to leave Lyon.

Once in Paris, Guimard attended the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts, where he was introduced to the ideas of Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc and rationalist thought. This provided the foundation for Guimard’s developing exploration of Art Nouveau ideals. He rejected the French classicism that dominated his schooling, and instead anticipated future styles like Modernism. Guimard understood his place in the present artistic movement and continually stayed one step ahead of it.

He was attracted to English architecture, and while still in school had the opportunity to study abroad in Great Britain. Whereas most of his classmates traditionally went to Italy to study classical architecture, Guimard was drawn to English styles where decorative arts had long been directly associated with architecture. His developing style naturally shared the spirit of Art Nouveau, whether he intended it to or not. He avoided direct references to the natural world, but often incorporated the energy and forms of organics and vegetation. As his style developed he began to embrace the unity of Art Nouveau, and took great care defining the interior layouts of his work as well as the exterior space. This developed into his guiding principle of total architecture — that interiors reiterate the visual propositions of the exterior.

Guimard was no stranger to emotions, and let them flow through his work. His draftsmanship was aggressive and almost violent, but his refinements were careful and vaguely feminine. He was regarded as an obstinate rebel, prideful and flaunting his innovations, although later in life he adopted a more mature, sober style. The periods of his life were greatly evident in his work — early work was brash and experimental, while later works became more comfortable and elegant. His later work continued to show evidence of attempts to refine and renew his style, always searching for a way to stay relevant.

In spite of his pride, Guimard sincerely and consistently meant his architecture to improve living conditions and to offer a cultural identity to the poorest members of society. In his early career he worked largely on commission, but was challenged in finding clients. Commissions from his clients were smaller in financial and social scope, and his relative obscurity due to this hindered his ability to attract larger, more prominent projects. Regardless, he made it a point to develop meaningful relationships with his clients, as demonstrated by his close ties with the Nozal family, for whom he designed many hotels and other buildings. Guimard found clients (and work) through family friends, their friends, professional networks and artist collectives. He developed a tight network of acquaintances, however this led to a lack of socially diverse clients and somewhat homogenized his work. Most of his clients were not terribly wealthy and therefore could not afford to have Guimard design the integrated interior elements and furnishings he prided himself on. Guimard often took on particularly challenging projects from his clients, those with tight spaces, narrow foundations or corner properties that allowed him to be creative with his solutions. He frequently turned down more comfortable and conventional spaces in favor of more challenging ones.

Rise to Prominence

Hector Guimard’s first real success came in 1897 with the completion of Castel Beranger. A large set of apartments built between 1895 and 1897 in Paris, Castel Beranger was Guimard’s first high-profile and prominent project. It was regarded as a serious work of art and the debut of his professional career. The project was built with the Art Nouveau ideals of harmony and continuity. Each element of Castel Barenger proved a part of the global design — floors, paneling, stained glass, fixtures, fireplaces and door handles were all designed specifically in context with the rest of the building. His emphasis on the interior was further influenced by a trip to Brussels in 1895 to meet architect Victor Horta, the father of Art Nouveau architecture in Europe. Horta influenced Guimard’s early style and encouraged the discovery of his own personal style and direction.

Castel Beranger, Paris, designed in 1895 and completed in 1898. It was regarded as “deranged” by his contemporaries.

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In Castel Beranger Guimard invented a truly French Art Nouveau work of architecture. It was something truly of his own style, not simply an imitation of Victor Horta. His creative development during the project was astounding, and he was able to integrate a wide array of decoration and furnishings, all of his own design. Castel Beranger brought him an incredible amount of publicity, winning awards and featuring prominently in French exhibitions. It also brought him many commissions, including the Paris Metro entrances assignment in 1899.

The front gate of Castel Beranger, also designed by Guimard, features ornate ironwork of the “whiplash curves” inspired by Victor Horta.

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The period following his success with Castel Beranger is seen as an extension of the developments he made with that project. Much of his work since exhibited an almost experimental graphic style, keen use of color and materials, and an influence of organics (frequently shells) and German timber framing. These demonstrated his belief in the supremacy of line and linear structure. Impressed by his work at Castel Beranger, other notable French architects began to follow his lead by this time.

Villa Bluette in Hermanville sur Mer, designed by Guimard in 1899. Note his experiments with German-style half-timber.

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The styles of this period were not without criticism however, and even his work on the Paris Metro entrances, right down to the lettering style, drew fire from the public. They found Guimard to be too ahead of his time, his art too uncompromising and original. The abstract forms in his buildings may have even scared off potential clients. Between 1903 and 1909 was a period of doubt and soul-searching for Guimard. He built much less, his work was less free and experimental, and his projects outside of Paris were fraught with administrative problems.

Hotel Guimard, Paris, Guimard’s wedding gift to his new wife Adeline.

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Much of Guimard’s personal life, as with his family life, remains a mystery. In 1909 he married Adeline Oppenheim, a rich American woman who brought unfamiliar affluence to Guimard’s life. After his marriage he settled down and his style matured. He designed more domestic residences, with elegant styles and materials and a much less aggressive approach to form and line. He also underwent a transition to more anonymous, but more profitable, industrial projects. Later in his career he worked largely on a speculative basis, selling completed designs in an attempt to stay successful. He tried his hand at mass produced furnishings, but all were immediate failures. Many of his later creative efforts proved unsuccessful as well, and after World War I he abandoned the decorative arts completely.

Hotel Mezzara in Paris, designed by Guimard in 1910.

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Following the war Art Deco rose to prominence. Guimard attempted to focus on the more technical side of his work and patented systems for rapid construction, many used on projects of his own. While he attempted to adopt the new ideas of Art Deco, he remained largely attached to Art Nouveau. He ended his career amidst failure and complete indifference. Guimard went into exile with his wife following the Nazi party’s anti-Semitic movements, and fled to New York in 1938; he died there in 1942.

Legacy

Hector Guimard left an obscure legacy marked by a disappearance of much of his work. Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi was one of the few Art Nouveau architects to escape the fate of demolition and obscurity that befell Guimard and his contemporaries. Outside of his brief times in the spotlight, his work was largely ignored. He watched many of his own buildings fall within this lifetime.

Guimard was as much a designer and engineer as he was an architect, and involved himself in every aspect of his buildings. Many argue he was a better designer than a builder, but skilled in all forms of design. His legacy continues to decline as his body of work continues to disappear. His furniture, stained glass windows and architectural plans often survive when a building does not, but lose much of their meaning when removed from the buildings they were designed for. Much of his documentation and personal correspondence has been lost as well, either retained by his wife or never existed in the first place. Many of Guimard’s clients were personal and family friends who may not have had formal agreements or plans with him to begin with.

Conclusion

Guimard believed in the principles of logic, harmony and sentiment: logic in that he was a respectful follower of the rationalists, but also a fervent disciple of modernity; harmony in an aspiration to unify all the elements of a building, both architecture and decoration; and sentiment in that he placed his artistic ambitions within a specific historical context, and the aesthetic by which he would modernize the living spaces of his clients.

He had a strong and often difficult personality, with many regarding him as being hard to work with. His isolationist attitude, along with his desire to be the sole author of his architecture, earned him few followers and students during his lifetime. In spite of his craft and originality, his pride earned him only scorn rather than the support and acceptance that might have better preserved his legacy.