Museum Exhibition Review: Cooper Hewitt’s “How Paris Got Its Curves”
Written By: Amayah Meas
The Cooper Hewitt’s “Hector Guimard: How Paris Got Its Curves” exhibition, curated by Yao-Feb You, illustrates the expansive impact of French architect Hector Guimard on Art Nouveau showcasing interior design, architecture, and engineering in Paris and beyond. Art Nouveau is a style of decorative arts that flourished around the turn of the 20th century and emphasizes the use of organic line, a style revolutionary from the art that came before. The entrepreneur would label his work with the term “le Style Guimard” which encapsulated the idea of totally integrated design that synthesizes the architectural, decorative, and fine arts into one complete environment. “How Paris Got Its Curves” is an insightful visual that guides the spectator through the works of Hector Guimard with a diverse range of artifacts from this impactful period in art and design history.
When first entering the exhibit, one is greeted with a large cast iron artifact introducing Guimard, allowing the room to be easily found and identifiable. On either side are two signs explaining ‘le Style Guimard” and the concept of totally integrated design, setting the expectation for the rest of the exhibit in simple terms. Turning right, displayed in glass cases are a variety of artifacts including doorknobs, prints, and ornamented cups. Guimard believed in “beauty for all” and would design for a range of different price points. On display was a collection of three picture frames, each made from a different material to reflect this notion. The items were strategically placed and corresponded with the minute descriptions effectively. For example, when describing how Guimard was involved with every aspect of a building’s design, included was an explanation of the industrial process alongside a large wall tapestry and small ornamented bottles. The diversity in sizes and subject matter presented in the same space provides a big picture of how fully integrated he was in design, dispensing a seamless and interactive experience.
Moving further through the exhibit, a wall is dedicated to the construction of the Castel Béranger in Paris in 1898. Guimard documented the design in a book of 65 mechanically produced plates of photographs and drawings, each hand-tinted or colored with stencils. The plates record the architectural and interior details of the building, including the wallpaper, carpeting, mosaics, hardware, and more. The book was displayed on a screen in slideshow format, and next to it was a QR code that spectators could scan to keep the slideshow on hand for future reference. This enhances the impact of the exhibit as people can remember and view the artwork at their leisure even after leaving the museum and prevents foot traffic from getting too heavy in that area of the room. Similarly, Guimard designed eight known versions of a journal of art criticism called Revue d’Art. Displayed was a working black and white sketch alongside the letter pressed cover of Issue No. 4, which provided a nice understanding of his design process. As the interest in art nouveau declined starting around 1910, subsequent issues of the journal turned toward more traditional design with floral motifs. Including these subsequent issues or even the remaining seven covers he designed for reference would have provided an enhanced understanding of his involvement and the evolution of societal tastes, but the exhibit missed this opportunity as no QR code was provided as suggested by the previous book.
Guimard attended the 1903 Housing Exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris, where he was named one of the first designers to use postcards as a form of self-promotion. Around this time is when he branded himself as the Architecte d’Art to emphasize his architectural skills. The postcards were numbered and labeled “le Style Guimard,” each featuring a different building with greenery. Together they formed a cohesive and aesthetic portfolio, something I wished they made copies of and sold in the museum gift shop as souvenirs.
An important figure in Guimard’s life was his wife, Adeline Guimard. The exhibit displayed several garments of hers, such as a white satin coat collar, to show their similar tastes. Described as his muse, Guimard applied total integrated design into every aspect of their relationship, from their clothing to the design of their residence. After he passed, Adeline preserved his designs and continued to promote his work as well. The museum noted their deep appreciation for her efforts, as it would not have had any of his work if it weren’t for her devotion.
Guimard is most notably recognized as the designer of the Paris Metro, which brought art nouveau to the masses. The stations are built with prefabricated components in cast iron, ceramic, and glass, and carefully demonstrate his concern for the welfare of working-class passengers to move freely throughout the city. This relates back to the ideology of “beauty for all” as it connected people beyond the boundaries of social class and aesthetics (Britannica, 2023). Besides the written descriptions placed sparingly around the room, this part of the exhibit was quite underwhelming. As a visual, a small screen played a short video of people using the metro on a regular day in Paris. I felt as though a longer or additional video perhaps showcasing the actual design and engineering processes would’ve been more insightful, as being in a major metropolitan city most spectators already understand what people using a train on a day-to-day basis looks like. Next, the two main artifacts presented were cast iron elements of the metro entrances. While these components are very impressive on their own, it is hard to visualize where they belong in the big picture of the Paris Metro. The exhibit lacked such pictures of their respective places, so without context one would likely fail to recognize that these designs were for the metro. On the contrary, the following room was dedicated to apartment buildings designed by Guimard and had hardwood floors and a statement fireplace. There was also an interactive map that allowed the user to pinpoint locations of his building designs, which alluded a more educational and homier experience that communicated the subject matter effectively.
While this exhibit connected the biggest aspects of Guimard’s architecture to the smallest details of his interior design in a thoughtful manner, I felt that it left out much of the design process in terms of the inspiration behind his skills and designs. For example, when describing how Guimard designed the door and window hardware of his residential projects, the sign concluded with “produced using new fabrication techniques.” I wanted to know more, like what fabrication techniques? How long did it take? What was the inspiration? The exhibit primarily focused merely on the final product, and while it did evoke feelings of awe for what seems like Guimard’s limitless skill and potential, there was little regard to the inspiration and thought processes behind the designs that left me asking WHY and HOW. Perhaps this was to inspire the spectator to leave feeling inclined to learn more on their own, but to me it felt more like an unfinished essay with missed opportunities. However, regardless of whether the literary depiction could’ve been improved, Cooper Hewitt’s “How Paris Got Its Curves” is an expertly curated exhibit that carefully demonstrates the impact of Hector Guimard on Parisian design history and art nouveau.
References
Hector Guimard: How Paris got its curves: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. (2022, November 21). Retrieved March 11, 2023, from https://www.cooperhewitt.org/2022/11/20/hector-guimard-how-paris-got-its- curves/
Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2023, March 6). Hector Guimard. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved March 11, 2023, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hector-Guimard
