Book excerpt: An extremely rich Belgian collection of Art Nouveau articles is behind the adventure leading to the conceiving of this book. Michel Draguet, in eight reference-filled chapters, guides the reader through the period between the end of the last century and the beginning of the present one, the herald of deep changes inspiring an art which, stemming from the symbolist and decadent instances, unfolds like a page of literature. The articles of applied arts figuring in the book have the flavor of the poetry of Baudelaire and Mallarme, recall the microcosm of Proustian interiors and take us back to an atmosphere steeped in the contributions of several arts, from dance to painting and sculpture, wherein the search for new techniques clearly does not play merely a minor role. Between literature and industry, a portent of the new century striding in, "Treasures of Art Nouveau" gives us back the savor of a world fully aware of the winds of change. Michel Draguet, Doctor in Philosophy and Literature and Agrege in Philosophy and Literature. Professor at the Universite libre of Brussels and qualified researcher at the Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique. Expert in the history of turn-of-the-century painting. Curator of several exhibitions and author and co-author of books, among which: "Bruxelles fin de siecle" (Paris, Flammarion, 1994); "Khnopff ou l'ambigu poetique" (Paris, Flammarion, 1995 - The 1996 Arthur Merghelynck Award of the Royal Academy of Belgium); "Mendelson "(Brussels, 1995); "Chronologie de l'art du XXe siecle" (Paris, Flammarion, 1997) and "Rops Cabinet de dessins" (Paris, 1998). Editor of the writings on art by Baudelaire and Mallarme.