Welcome to the second "special issue" of Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide. Special issues are organized around a single theme and edited by one or two guest editors. Thus far, they have been the outcomes of symposia. Our first special issue was centered on the impact of Darwin and evolutionary theory on nineteenth-century art. The present issue has as its theme the importance of Siegfried Bing and his gallery La Maison de l'Art Nouveau for the development of late nineteenth-century fine and decorative arts in France and abroad.           We are especially happy to have as our collaborators the Van Gogh Museum Journal and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, which organized the symposium on Siegfried Bing that gave rise to this special issue. We acknowledge the editorial board of the Van Gogh Museum Journal for having entrusted the publication of this symposium to us and we are grateful for their help in initiating the content of this issue and their editorial involvement in the manuscript. We thank the Van Gogh Museum for funding this issue. Our thanks go, in particular, to Chris Stolwijk, Head of Research of the Van Gogh Museum and Chief editor of the Van Gogh Museum Journal ; John Leighton, Director; Edwin Becker, Curator; and Suzanne Bogman, Publications Manager.               We are also indebted to the authors for their contributions to this issue, and to Gabriel P. Weisberg for serving as its guest editor. And it goes without saying that it could not have been realized without our copy editor, Robert Alvin Adler, and our webmaster, Emily Pugh, who deserve our praise and gratitude. Last but not least, we thank Howard Rehs for his help in publicizing the Bing issue in the United States.               To those of you who are organizing symposia or have just done so, please remember Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide as a possible publishing venue. We feel these special issues serve an important purpose in publicizing outstanding symposia and preserving them for posterity. Please contact Petra Chu at chupetra@19thc-artworldwide.org.               Meanwhile, enjoy this special Bing issue.