With its exemplary but small collection of Art Nouveau pieces, the exhibit Holland on Paper: The Age of Art Nouveau" has the challenge of living up to other impressive and similar showcases at the Museum of Fine Arts . The exhibition, which opened on Aug. 10, is currently on view in the Frances Vrachos Gallery, the same space that was just occupied by "Art in the Street," a collection of 20th century European posters, earlier this summer. The MFA also hosted another compilation of Art Nouveau pieces in "The Postcard Age," which was on view through this past April. Though the new installation's expressive and decadent illustrations are engaging, it ultimately pales in the aftermath of these two predecessors.
The Art Nouveau movement originated in Paris around the turn of the 20th century. Literally meaning "new art," Art Nouveau soon spread throughout Europe and beyond the continent. At the crux of the movement was a desire to connect with the natural world
