Lillian Nassau LLC is pleased to be exhibiting, for the first time, at the Masterpiece London Fair, from June 30th to July 5, 2011.

For over sixty-five years, Lillian Nassau has been the pre-eminent dealer in the work of Tiffany Studios and the Art Nouveau period. Mrs. Nassau, with her singular taste and vision, is credited with reviving global interest in the Art Nouveau period and the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany and Tiffany Studios.

Lillian Nassau has a direct and meaningful connection to Masterpiece London. In 1899, at the Grafton Galleries in London, French art dealer Siegfried Bing introduced the world to Art Nouveau and the designs of Tiffany Studios.  L’Art Nouveau was both the name of Bing’s gallery in Paris (founded in 1895) and the name for this important era in the history of the decorative arts.

Lillian Nassau will be presenting much of what Bing presented: Tiffany Studios lamps, Tiffany favrile glass, metalwork, windows, and mosaics as well as the work of notable French artists of the period, including Pierre-Adrien Dalpayrat, Auguste Delaherche, and Clement Massier. The original poster for this landmark exhibition by the English artist Frank Brangwyn will also be on view in the gallery’s stand, #D11.

While not well known today outside the academic and museum world, Siegfried Bing is a pivotal figure in the history of modern decorative arts. He began his career as a dealer in Japanese and Chinese arts and was the publisher of the journal Artistic Japan. The exotic illustrations in his influential journal inspired a generation of artists and designers, particularly those whose works exemplify the Art Nouveau taste.

Eager to expand his artistic horizons, Bing traveled to America in 1894. His enthusiasm and praise for what he saw were the inspiration for his book Artistic America. Bing was particularly taken with the vibrant originality of Louis Comfort Tiffany. Soon after meeting the charismatic Tiffany, Bing commissioned leaded-glass windows based on the designs of eleven prominent French painters, among them Toulouse-Lautrec, Bonnard, and Vuillard. When Bing returned to Paris, he became Tiffany’s dealer, placing important works in private and museum collections in Europe. Both Bing and Tiffany triumphed in 1900 at the Paris Exposition Universelle, gaining recognition and winning numerous awards.

And now, over a century later, at Masterpiece, Lillian Nassau LLC  salutes the genius of Siegfried Bing, L’Art Nouveau, Louis Comfort Tiffany, and Mrs. Lillian Nassau with a presentation that celebrates a renowned past. 

 www.lilliannassau.com