Art Nouveau is the style in art that came to being in the last years of the nineteenth century.  It was reaction to the photo-realism of the Academics and emphasized the organic nature of art.  It gained inspiration from floral patterns and emphasized flowing lines. 

Art Nouveau began with the explosive reception of Alphonse Mucha's Parisian poster announcing Sarah Bernhart starring in the play Gismonda on January 1, 1895.  It spread rapidly throughout the western world and, as a reaction to Academism, became the favored style of the Secessionists of Austria-Hungary and Bavaria.  Each of the Secessionist artists created works with their own verision of Art Nouveau, particularly Gustav Klimt of the Viennese Secession and Franz von Stuck of the Munich Secession and the American Louis Comfort Tiffany.

The domination of Art Nouveau faded by 1910 through it is now seen as a bridge from Neo-Classicism to various Modernist styles of art.  Art Nouveau has periodically strongly influenced various subsequent art movements, including Psychodelic Art and the Symbolism of Jean Delville.