TROPON

Henry Van de Velde, the Belgian architect and teacher, is considered to be one of the originators of the Art Nouveau style. His only poster was designed in 1897 for the Tropon food company as part of a comprehensive campaign that appeared on packages of powdered egg whites, advertisements and the company's stationary. This sinuous, abstracted image remains today not only one of the most important works of Van de Velde's career but an icon of Art Nouveau. Van de Velde moved to Germany in 1907 and helped found the Deutsche Werkbund and later became the first director of the legendary Bauhaus.