As former MMA director Thomas Hoving wrote, Lalique has become a vital force in the universe of decorative arts. He did for glass what Coco Chanel did for fashion. Lalique, like Chanel, is readily identifiable, unique, and at the same time accessible to those who love it. Yet Lalique's genius extends beyond the decorative arts, as his work reflects his evolution from jeweler to glassmaker to architectural artist. Truly a renaissance man, Lalique created unique one of-a-kind artworks as well as multi-piece mass-produced table settings, and was never afraid of a challenge, even if it meant producing architectural components for the gigantic cruise ships of the era or a working bathtub made entirely of glass. In The Essential Rene Lalique, readers will learn that he: was one of the first multimedia artists. played a leading role in the two distinctly unique artistic movements of Art Nouveau and Art Deco. created works that embraced the necks of beautiful women, caressed the lips of industrial tycoons, and reflected crowds of passengers aboard the Titanic cruise ship.