Transcendent Luxury: German Art Deco Poster Masterpieces 1914-1927

During and immediately following The First World War, advertisers in Germany presented romantic elegance in a manner that bridged the sinuous lines of Art Nouveau and the hard lines of the Art Deco period to achieve a unique style that would inform the rest of the century as a pinnacle of graphic design. Transcendent Luxury presents a collection of 70 full-page, full-color, high-resolution images of posters from the Century Guild Museum of Art archive alongside historical commentary in the manner of a museum or gallery tour, giving a gentle overview of the subject matter.

The Century Guild Museum of Art is dedicated to providing a historical context to popular culture, primarily by exhibiting Art Nouveau and Symbolist artworks 1880-1920. Founded in 1999 as an art gallery, the personal mission of founder Thomas Negovan has always been to educate and inspire by creating a bridge of understanding between the late 19th century and the present- especially to unsuspecting yet passionate audiences; one notable example being the exhibition of museum-level Art Nouveau to the over 100,000 art lovers annually attending San Diego Comic Con.

The museum is focused primarily on the presentation of Art Nouveau and Symbolist works from Germany, Austria, France and Italy 1880-1920, including the lithography of historically significant artists such as Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, and Alphonse Mucha alongside the finest examples of Art Nouveau objects including Amphora and Massier pottery, and artifacts from the golden eras of Silent Film and Cabaret.

For nearly twenty years Century Guild has exhibited rare artworks in venues as varied as L.A. Art, The Merchandise Mart International Antiques Fair, and San Diego Comic Con. Works previously in the Century Guild collection have been displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Detroit Institute of Art, and LACMA.