Apps

Searching for Apps can get me really excited. When I find a good one, it almost makes me feel like I have received a velvet box, wrapped with a beautiful silk ribbon & bow…

I can’t wait to open the box, and admire everything inside…

Do you recognize that feeling?

Then, here’s my present to you.

A collection of Art Nouveau related Apps that I gathered, free of charge!

I have ordered the Apps in 3 categories: Museums, Tourism & Miscellaneous.

MUSEUM APPS

Wiesbaden Museum – There is on tour called Art Nouveau in Nature which explains the importance of the German scientist Ernst Haeckel. Haeckel created a ‘bridge’ between science and Art. There are also a few tours sharing the Art Nouveau highlights of the museum. The app is available in German, English and French.

Museum of the Ecole de Nancy – The first Art Nouveau App I discovered on the IZI.Travel platform is an audio guide through the Museum of the Ecole de Nancy. Included is a tour along part of the collection of the Museum as well as a tour along the collection of Eugène Corbin. Great App in English, German and French.

Art Nouveau – Supporting the UMP exhibition “Secese – Vítální umění 1900” in Prague. At first, the App was only available in the Czech language. But now it is has also been made available in English! It is including lots of pictures of beautiful objects! A real must have App!

Ivan Lendl: Alphons Mucha – This app is supporting the exhibition “Ivan Lendl: Alphonse Mucha” in Prague. The app is very complete and in English. It includes many beautiful artworks by Mucha, but not the complete Lendl collection. If you wish to download the complete catalogue, it will cost you €0.99.

L’Idéal Art Nouveau – Supporting the exhibition “L’Idéal Art Nouveau” at Palais Lumière in Evian. This App was originally only available in French, but has recently been updated, and is now also available in English. No pictures though, sound only.

dARsein – This app depicts the history of Darmstadt’s House of Olbrich. By taking photos you can interactively travel through the building’s history: Augmented Reality superimposes information on each picture and visualizes the impressive historical architecture of the Art Nouveau.

Paris 1900 – This App is supporting the exhibition in Le Petit Palais (Paris). At first the App was only available in French, but now you can also download an English version here. Please note there has recently been an update and the app is now only available for iOS 7.

TRAVEL APPS

Invisible Modernism – The app provides the location of 100 little-known buildings, ordered on the basis of the 10 most famous Art Nouveau sites in the city. The app features GPS positioning to help find your way on the routes and the intention is to add new buildings, urban features or routes in the future. Excellent App to escape the crowds! English, Catalan and Spanish.

Tales & Tours – Tales & Tours is a free App. Once you have installed the App on your device, you can download tour guides, routes and offline maps to explore your next destination. Some may cost money, but many don’t. The city of Brussels has created two tour guides that are interesting for us: Art Nouveau – Art Deco City Centre and Art Nouveau – Art Deco Saint-Gilles (Elsene). Both guides are available in English, French, Dutch and German. And they are free of charge!

PocketGuide – PocketGuide turns your mobile device into your personal tour guide. Once you installed the App on your phone, you can select any city-tour and either follow that tour on-line, or download it and follow it off-line. Most interesting city in regards to Art Nouveau is Subotica, Art Nouveau capital of Serbia! The App is free, and so are the on-line city-tours. But if you want to avoid roaming costs abroad, it is advised to buy the off-line city-tours, or gather points and download them for free.

i902 – This App taps into the 1902 database (www.1902.info) to bring you interactive maps of European cities, with pictures of and detailed explanations about their Art Nouveau buildings. Basically, anyone can register at the website and start adding new entries and photo’s.

Art Nouveau on the Go in Brussels (Lite Version) – This walk follows a swathe of urban sprawl through St. Gilles and Ixelles, two communities that boast various buildings in the sumptuous and organic architecture that is Art Nouveau. This Lite version does not include a map or walking directions. You can download the full version for €2,69.

Pond Quarter and Art Nouveau in Brussels (Lite Version) – As you walk, you’ll get to see the two architects Ernest Blerot and Ernest Delune compete for glory in over a dozen of their buildings. This Lite version does not include a map or walking directions. You can download the full version for €2,69.

Reus Turisme – Tourist App about Reus including What to see, Where to sleep and Where to eat. Good to see the Events are updated and linked to related websites and Youtube. The section Audioguides was still under construction the last time I checked.

Modernisme – This App containes maps of Barcelona and Reus with pins where Gaudi’s Art Nouveau objects are located. For each object a photo and a description. Interesting: “Images and places you send us, will be added to our community. If you find an interesting modernist place in bad shape, send us info, we will make public denounce.”

CRMFrance – This App contains itineraries for 5 trails cross the Pyrenées Orientales in France, plus details and background information about the places where Mackintosh painted his watercolours. Mackintosh spent the last 4 years of his life here, way after he abandoned his architectural career, so this App is a bit off-topic.

MISCELLANEOUS APPS

Mucha – This free app is called ‘Mucha 74 Paintings’ but you actually have to pay €0,99 to unlock most of them. Only the first 19 are free. If you love Much though, you might find this app interesting as you can download the pictures. The app doesn’t give any information.

HGuimard – A very complete and chronological summary of the life of the architect Hector Guimard, and a mapping of most of his constructions. A photographic database of his dossiers etc… Based on the incredible labour of love www.hguimard.fr Unfortunately all information is only in French.

iBooks

Museu del Modernisme Català – To celebrate its 3rd anniversary, the Museu del Modernisme Català presents 30 works by the most significant artists of their cultural legacy. Highlights include the railings of the Casa Mateu – known as La Miranda – designed by Antoni Gaudí and Francesc Berenguer in Llinars del Vallès (Barcelona), two charcoal and pastel drawings by Ramon Casas, furniture from the Casa Trinxet by Josep Puig i Cadafalch, and spectacular examples of cabinetmaking by Joan Busquets and Gaspar Homar. iBook is available in English, French, Catalan and Spanish.

Feel free to share your discoveries here too!