Guimard described himself as an “architectural artist”. He was born in Lyon, France and studied decorative arts and architecture at Ecole Nationale des Arts Decoratifs and the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris.
Guimard began his career as an architect, however, after visiting what has been described as the first Art Nouveau building, Victor Horta’s “Hotel Tassel” in Brussels, he redefined his artistic approach, adopting a total design approach. He achieved this by making the interior design of a house and its furniture an integrated part of the whole design of the house.
Guimard's notoriety is in producing some of the most innovative buildings of the Art Nouveau period. He is also famous for using ironwork in the design of the entrances of the Paris metro, which reflect the linear forms often associated with the Art Nouveau period. During this period of Art Nouveau his designs were described as “style guimard” which was represented by, asymmetry, arabesque and long vegetable curves, and often reflected in his designs produced in a variety of materials.
As well as designing a number of houses he also diversified into furniture design and eventually began to design objects which were more figurative unlike the flowing styles of his famous Paris Metro Signs.