Last year, the city of Lviv joined the international Reseau Art Nouveau Network (RANN), which is engaged in the study and promotion of the Art nouveau heritage, or secession or modern, as it is usually called in Ukraine. Therefore, Lviv now has a platform to popularize its Art-nouveau heritage at the international level, and for four years, together with European partners, it will implement the project “Art Nouveau: a new EUtopia. How the past can be a bridge to a sustainable future” (“AN as a New EUtopia”).
Art Nouveau (from the French “L’Art Nouveau” – “new art”) is an artistic style that swept the world at the end of the XIX – at the beginning 20th century, and consisted in the rejection of imitation of classical forms and the search for a new style. Artists drew inspiration from nature, folk architecture, and also admired Japanese art and its attraction to clean, unencumbered by decor, surfaces.
The project envisions an exploration of Art Nouveau’s active role in contemporary society, reinventing itself in the context of sustainable development and aims to raise public awareness and solve current problems facing Art nouveau cultural heritage, including environmental, educational and social issues.
This ambitious initiative involves a pan-European program that encompasses diverse spheres, ranging from training opportunities for restoration professionals to artist residencies and innovative pedagogical approaches. As part of the implementation of the project in Lviv, it is planned to create a database of art-nouveau style buildings, conduct seminars on the development of Art-Nouveau heritage maintainance practices, conduct a summer restoration school (restoration of wall paintings, mascarons, gates), conduct the annual World Art-Nouveau Day (WAND) event in Lviv, as well as: workshops, discussions, development of booklets for residents, exhibitions, excursions, visits to thematic workshops.
Emphasizing transnational collaboration the project brings together 12 partners, all members of the Réseau Art Nouveau Network (RANN): RANN, Horta Museum, Foundation Maison Léon Losseau, Urban.brussels (Belgium); Alcoy’s City Hall (Spain); City Museum of Aveiro (Portugal); Museum of Applied Arts Budapest (Hungary); National Museum of Slovenia (Slovenia); Heritage Bureau Lviv (Ukraine); Nancy Museums (France); Oradea Heritage (Romania); Riga City Council (Latvia). These partners, coordinated by the RANN, leverage their local expertise and experiences to valorise Art Nouveau heritage with a collective goal: bringing forward the importance of a sustainable conservation of Art Nouveau sites.
Through joint efforts and creative initiatives, the project aims to inspire audiences from different backgrounds to contribute to preserving the Art Nouveau heritage for future generations.
The project is implemented with the support of the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) of the European Commission and will continuewill last from January 2024 to September 2027. You can follow all project activities in the project’s social networks: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn.
