The 'Art Nouveau' -called 'Modernisme' in Catalonia and 'Arts and Crafts' in Scotland-, was a cultural movement developed in Europe from the end of XIX century to the first quarter of XX century.

The ‘Modernisme’ in Catalonia had a fantastic expansion in a country opened to all currents from Europe in order to affirm his differences with Spain and reinforce his political nationalism, in a period of rebirth known as "Renaixença" after a long period of decline caused by its military defeat in 1714 and consequent loss of his national rights and institutions. 

Art Nouveau represents all over the world and specially in Catalonia the freedom to create new shapes not previously accepted.

These new tendencies were evident  in all the different artistic areas such as architecture, sculpture, painting, decorative arts, literature and music.

Architects as Gaudí, Domenech i Montaner, Puig i Cadafalch and others took the leadership of that movement. 

Some of these artists had regular meetings from 1897 in the literary café "Els quatre gats" installed in a building of Puig i Cadafalch in the old Barcelona, an Art Nouveau café with a huge prestige in artistic circles.

The magazine "Pèl i ploma" published by Ramon Casas was the voice of the movement in Barcelona.

That collective attitude of artistic renewal and progress was the driver of one of most brilliant periods of Catalan art.