Design for a Mass-operational House Designed by Hector Guimard
Medium
architecture
Classification
architecture
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Madame Hector Guimard
Accession Number
1956-78-1-28
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Hector Guimard, the celebrated French architect (1867–1942) best known for his sinuous Art Nouveau designs like the iconic Paris Métro entrances, this *Design for a Mass-oper House* in 1920. Held in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection as a gift from Madame Hector Guimard, this architectural reflects a pivotal shift in Guimard's career Europe's post-World War I reconstruction era. While his early work embodied organic, floral-inspired forms, by the 1920s, he turned toward practical innovation, envisioning efficient, prefabricated housing to address widespread housing shortages. Th...