Banquet of Wonders: Delighting in the World

Designs and decorative objects celebrating Art Nouveau and the art of living

At the crossroads of an artistic, aesthetic and poetic heritage, A Banquet of Wonders: Delighting in the World invites readers to partake in a visual feast of art and decorative objects celebrating the taste for collecting and the love of nature. The "banquet" of the title refers specifically to the objects and utensils laid out for consuming a meal, especially those that celebrate food and drink's connection to the natural environment. Selected pieces range from the Art Nouveau period to the present day, and include vases, glasses and plates from designers such as Gallé, Christofle and Lalanne, sourced from the British Museum, the Rijksmuseum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The collection is introduced by poet Ryoko Sekiguchi, who "makes the objects of the banquet speak," thus decentralizing our gaze. Each piece is then listed and described by curator Benjamin Loyauté. Additional essays include a manifesto on Art Nouveau and its relationship to abstraction by Jean-Louis Gallemin, a treatise on the importance of bees and honeycombs by Yves Élie, and a discussion by Laure Ménétrier of how botany informs the practice of collecting.