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The Art Nouveau movement, characterized by flowing lines, natural motifs, and innovative materials like iron, glass, and ceramics, left its mark on various buildings across Paris. This door, a prime example at 29 Avenue Rapp, designed by Jules Lavirotte in 1901, is a top contender for the most beautiful door in Paris.
When the door first appeared, it caused a stir for its intricate carvings, lavish sculptural ornamentation such as Adam and Eve and the door's rumored naughty overtones, which only added to its allure.
Despite soaring popularity, the movement began to fade around the early 1910s, its decline often linked to the onset of World War I in 1914. By then, the style’s exuberant, ornate designs began to give way to the more geometric and streamlined forms of Art Deco which better suited the post-war desire for modernity and simplicity.
Today there are Art Nouveau touches all over the city if one but keeps their eyes open. Probably the best-known and most-spotted are Hector Guimard's whimsical metro station entrances. - BPJ
