Each generation defines what is modern for itself. ‘Modern’ is often a combination of reaction and rejection of what has immediately preceded it and the re-interpretation of formulas of a previous era to counter what has become familiar and conservative. For the quarter century between 1890 and the First World War, artists, architects, and artisans generated a body of work that departed from historic precedents and was inspired, instead, by nature, geometry, and national pride.

Learn more about this remarkable period of design reform through the collections of Lawrence Kreisman and Wayne Dodge.