"It was on 26 December 1895 that art dealer Siegfried Bing (1838-1905) opened the doors of his Paris shop L'Art Nouveau. This long-awaited event represented the birth of a new movement in art." "The Origins of L'Art Nouveau is more than a monograph on Siegfried Bing, his shop and his national and international influence. It also analyses the development of Art Nouveau, and explores the fusion of applied and fine art into an all-embracing new stylistic form. Numerous previously unpublished photographs and works of art further elucidate the narrative."--Jacket.