Lucien Falize (1839 – 1897) was a French jeweller and writer in France who was responsible for pioneering and driving the Art Nouveau movement with his firm, Falize.  He is known for his breathtaking and innovative designs for both public and private sales.

Lucien Falize was heavily influenced by his visits to London in 1861 and 1862, where he went to the National Gallery, Westminster Abbey, and the Crystal Palace. He was struck by the Chinese, Indian, Assyrian, and Egyptian exhibits, and at the International Exhibition he was impressed by the Oriental lacquers, enamels, bronzes, prints, and earthenware taken from the collection of Sir Rutherford Alcock.

Due to his ties to the firm, Falize was unable to travel to Japan, but his passion for the East began to manifest through his designs. Pendants, bracelets, necklaces, and brooches with a distinct Oriental effect began to emerge. These were enamelled and filled with bold, opaque colours with delicate scenes of nature and animals. Lucien also visited the Campana collection at the Louvre, where he viewed a number of items, being influenced by the treasure trove of medieval, Renaissance, Assyrian, Egyptian, and Byzantine objects.

Until his death by a stroke in 1897, Lucien continued to create breathtaking designs for public sale and private commissions. He was determined to make the jewellery house Falize a commercial success, collaborating with other established designers like Germain Bapst, with whom he was partnered from 1880 to 1892. He was a prolific writer and reviewer and often published under his pseudonym, ‘Monsieur Josse’ in the decorative arts journals of the day.

Lucien Falize was also deeply involved in the Union Centrale throughout his career. He firmly believed in the importance of providing proper training to future designers, and he submitted plans for technical exhibitions and donated working prototypes of chatelaines and electrotypes of bracelets.  Lucien also entered his firm into a number of competitions and Expositions Universelles and was awarded countless honours and honorary positions throughout his career.

Often frustrated by the need to be a commercial success as well as a critical one, Lucien said in a letter to his son André in April 1896 “a big firm cannot survive on works of art alone.”

His friend, jeweller and collector Henri Vever, said about Lucien: How he would have loved to have lived…at the time of the Medici, freed from heavy commercial burdens and only preoccupied by the creation of beautiful works.