Hector Guimard (1867–1942) was the leading figure of French Art Nouveau architecture, known for sinuous ironwork, organic ornamentation, and facades that seem to grow rather than be constructed. The catalogue holds 2 of his works in Paris.
Castel Béranger (1898) was his breakthrough: an apartment building with whiplash iron balconies, glazed ceramic panels, and carved stone doorways where no two elements are identical. The Hôtel Guimard (1913), his own residence, is a more restrained but equally inventive work. Guimard is also famous for his Paris Métro station entrances — cast-iron and glass canopies that made Art Nouveau part of everyday Parisian life.
