Art Deco (song)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Art Deco, short for the French ("decorative arts"), , is a style of visual arts, architecture, and
product design Product design as a verb is to create a new product to be sold by a business to its customers. A very broad coefficient and effective generation and development of ideas through a process that leads to new products. Thus, it is a major aspect of n ...
, that first appeared in Paris in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920s to early 1930s. Through styling and design of the exterior and interior of anything from large structures to small objects, including how people look (clothing, fashion, and jewelry), Art Deco has influenced bridges, buildings (from skyscrapers to cinemas), ships,
ocean liner An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). Ca ...
s, trains, cars, trucks, buses, furniture, and everyday objects including radios and vacuum cleaners. Art Deco got its name after the 1925 (International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts) held in Paris. Art Deco combined the styles of early 20th century Modernist avant-garde, with the fine craftsmanship and rich materials of French historic design, but also sometimes with motifs taken from non-Western cultures. From its outset, Art Deco was influenced by the bold geometric forms of
Cubism Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture. In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassemble ...
and the Vienna Secession; the bright colours of
Fauvism Fauvism /ˈfoʊvɪzm̩/ is the style of ''les Fauves'' (French language, French for "the wild beasts"), a group of early 20th-century modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong colour over the Representation (arts), repr ...
and of the
Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Revolution disrupted society. A ...
; the updated craftsmanship of the furniture of the eras of Louis XVI and Louis Philippe I; and the exoticized styles of art from
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
,
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, India, Persia, ancient Egypt and Maya. During its heyday, Art Deco represented luxury, glamour, exuberance, and faith in social and technological progress. The movement featured rare and expensive materials, such as ebony and ivory, and exquisite craftsmanship. In New York, the
Empire State Building The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of the st ...
, Chrysler Building, and other buildings from the 1920s and 1930s are monuments to the style. In the 1930s, during the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
, Art Deco gradually became more subdued, paving the way for the
International Style International style may refer to: * International Style (architecture), the early 20th century modern movement in architecture *International style (art), the International Gothic style in medieval art *International Style (dancing), a term used in ...
and Mid-century modern. New materials arrived, including chrome plating,
stainless steel Stainless steel is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 11% chromium and may contain elements such as carbon, other nonmetals and metals to obtain other desired properties. Stainless steel's corros ...
and plastic. A sleeker form of the style, called
Streamline Moderne Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by aerodynamic design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In industrial design ...
, appeared in the 1930s, featuring curving forms and smooth, polished surfaces. Art Deco was a truly international style, but its dominance ended with the beginning of World War II and the rise of the strictly functional and unadorned styles of modern architecture and the
International Style International style may refer to: * International Style (architecture), the early 20th century modern movement in architecture *International style (art), the International Gothic style in medieval art *International Style (dancing), a term used in ...
of architecture that followed.


Etymology

Art Deco took its name, short for , from the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts held in Paris in 1925, though the diverse styles that characterised it had already appeared in Paris and Brussels before World War I. ''Arts décoratifs'' was first used in France in 1858 in the ''Bulletin de la Société française de photographie''. In 1868, the '' Le Figaro'' newspaper used the term ''objets d'art décoratifs'' for objects for stage scenery created for the Théâtre de l'Opéra. In 1875, furniture designers, textile, jewellers, glass-workers, and other craftsmen were officially given the status of artists by the French government. In response, the ''École royale gratuite de dessin'' (Royal Free School of Design), founded in 1766 under King Louis XVI to train artists and artisans in crafts relating to the fine arts, was renamed the '' École nationale des arts décoratifs (''National School of Decorative Arts). It took its present name, ENSAD (''École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs''), in 1927. At the 1925 Exposition, Swiss-French architect
Le Corbusier Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , , ), was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture. He was ...
wrote a series of articles about the Exposition for his magazine ''L'Esprit Nouveau'', under the title ''1925 EXPO. ARTS. DÉCO.'', which were combined into a book, ''L'art décoratif d'aujourd'hui'' (Decorative Art Today). The book was a spirited attack on the excesses of the colourful, lavish objects at the Exposition, and on the idea that practical objects such as furniture should not have any decoration at all; his conclusion was that "Modern decoration has no decoration". The actual term ''art déco'' did not appear in print until 1966, in the title of the first modern exhibition on the subject, held by the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, ''Les Années 25 : Art déco, Bauhaus, Stijl, Esprit nouveau'', which covered a variety of major styles in the 1920s and 1930s. The term was then used in a 1966 newspaper article by Hillary Gelson in '' The Times'' (London, 12 November), describing the different styles at the exhibit. Art Deco gained currency as a broadly applied stylistic label in 1968 when historian Bevis Hillier published the first major academic book on it, ''
Art Deco of the 20s and 30s ''Art Deco of the 20s and 30s'' is an art history book by English historian Bevis Hillier. It was initially published in 1968 by Studio Vista. The author discusses how the style of cubism, expressionism, Ancient Egyptian art, Mayan art, and so on ...
''. He noted that the term was already being used by art dealers, and cites ''The Times'' (2 November 1966) and an essay named ''Les Arts Déco'' in '' Elle'' magazine (November 1967) as examples. In 1971, he organized an exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, which he details in his book ''The World of Art Deco''. In its time, Art Deco was tagged with other names, like ''style moderne'', ''Moderne'', ''modernistic'' or ''style contemporain'', and was not recognized as a distinct and homogenous style.


Origins


Society of Decorative Artists (1901–1945)

The emergence of Art Deco was closely connected with the rise in status of decorative artists, who until late in the 19th century were considered simply artisans. The term had been invented in 1875, giving the designers of furniture, textiles, and other decoration official status. The ''Société des artistes décorateurs'' (Society of Decorative Artists), or SAD, was founded in 1901, and decorative artists were given the same rights of authorship as painters and sculptors. A similar movement developed in Italy. The first international exhibition devoted entirely to the decorative arts, the '' Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Decorativa Moderna'', was held in Turin in 1902. Several new magazines devoted to decorative arts were founded in Paris, including ''Arts et décoration'' and ''L'Art décoratif moderne''. Decorative arts sections were introduced into the annual salons of the ''Sociéte des artistes français'', and later in the'' Salon d'Automne''. French nationalism also played a part in the resurgence of decorative arts, as French designers felt challenged by the increasing exports of less expensive German furnishings. In 1911, SAD proposed a major new international exposition of decorative arts in 1912. No copies of old styles would be permitted, only modern works. The exhibit was postponed until 1914; and then, because of the war, until 1925, when it gave its name to the whole family of styles known as "Déco". File:Art Deco table, chairs, carpet.jpg, Table and chairs by
Maurice Dufrêne Maurice Dufrêne (1876–1955) was a French decorative artist who headed the ''Maîtrise'' workshop of the ''Galeries Lafayette'' department store. Life Maurice Dufrêne was born in Paris in 1876. His father had a wholesale commodities business. ...
and carpet by Paul Follot at the 1912 Salon des artistes décorateurs File:‘Lady with Panther’ by George Barbier for Cartier, 1914.jpg, ''Lady with Panther'' by George Barbier for Louis Cartier (1914). Display card commissioned by Cartier shows a woman in a Paul Poiret gown. File:Jacques-émile ruhlmann, poltrona 'oreille cassée', parigi 1914, 01.JPG, Armchair by Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann (1914), now in the
Musée d'Orsay The Musée d'Orsay ( , , ) ( en, Orsay Museum) is a museum in Paris, France, on the Left Bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art ...
, Paris
Parisian department stores and fashion designers also played an important part in the rise of Art Deco. Prominent businesses such as silverware firm
Christofle Christofle is a French manufacturer and retailer of high-end tableware, jewelry and home accessories. Founded in Paris by Charles Christofle in 1830, the company is known for making fine Household silver, silverware. Christofle was acquired in 20 ...
, glass designer René Lalique, and the jewellers Louis Cartier and Boucheron began designing products in more modern styles.Campbell, Gordon, ''The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts'', Oxford University Press, USA, 9 Nov 2006
, pp. 42 (Vera), 43 (Cartier), 243 (Christofle), 15, 515, 527 (Lalique), 13, 134 (Boucheron),
Beginning in 1900, department stores recruited decorative artists to work in their design studios. The decoration of the 1912 ''Salon d'Automne'' was entrusted to the department store '' Printemps'',Campbell, Gordon, ''The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts'', Oxford University Press, USA, 9 Nov 2006
, pp. 42-43
and that year it created its own workshop, ''Primavera''. By 1920 ''Primavera'' employed more than 300 artists, whose styles ranged from updated versions of Louis XIV, Louis XVI, and especially Louis Philippe furniture made by Louis Süe and the ''Primavera'' workshop, to more modern forms from the workshop of the ''Au Louvre'' department store. Other designers, including Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann and Paul Follot, refused to use mass production, insisting that each piece be made individually. The early Art Deco style featured luxurious and exotic materials such as ebony, ivory and silk, very bright colours and stylized motifs, particularly baskets and bouquets of flowers of all colours, giving a modernist look.Laurent, Stephane, "L'artiste décorateur", in ''Art Deco, 1910–1939'' by Charlotte Benton, Tim Benton and Ghislain Wood (2002), Renaissance du Livre, pages 165–171


Vienna Secession and Wiener Werkstätte (1897–1912)

The architects of the Vienna Secession (formed 1897), especially Josef Hoffmann, had a notable influence on Art Deco. His
Stoclet Palace The Stoclet Palace (french: Palais Stoclet, nl, Stocletpaleis) is a mansion in Brussels, Belgium. It was designed by the Austrian architect Josef Hoffmann for the Belgian financier Adolphe Stoclet. Built between 1905 and 1911 in the Vienna Sec ...
, in Brussels (1905–1911), was a prototype of the Art Deco style, featuring geometric volumes, symmetry, straight lines, concrete covered with marble plaques, finely-sculpted ornament, and lavish interiors, including mosaic friezes by
Gustav Klimt Gustav Klimt (July 14, 1862 – February 6, 1918) was an Austrian symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. Klimt is noted for his paintings, murals, sketches, and other objets d'art. Klimt's prim ...
. Hoffmann was also a founder of the Wiener Werkstätte (1903–1932), an association of craftsmen and interior designers working in the new style. This became the model for the ''Compagnie des arts français'', created in 1919, which brought together André Mare, and Louis Süe, the first leading French Art Deco designers and decorators. File:Secession 2016, Vienna.jpg, Secession Building in Vienna by Joseph Maria Olbrich (1897–98) Penzing (Wien) - Kirche am Steinhof (2).JPG, Church of St. Leopold in Vienna by Otto Wagner (1903–1907) File:Wien - Österreichische Postsparkasse, Georg-Coch-Platz.JPG, Austrian Postal Savings Bank in Vienna by Wagner (1904–1912) File:20120923 Brussels PalaisStoclet Hoffmann DSC06725 PtrQs.jpg,
Stoclet Palace The Stoclet Palace (french: Palais Stoclet, nl, Stocletpaleis) is a mansion in Brussels, Belgium. It was designed by the Austrian architect Josef Hoffmann for the Belgian financier Adolphe Stoclet. Built between 1905 and 1911 in the Vienna Sec ...
in Brussels by Josef Hoffmann (1905–1911) File:Bruxelles - Palais Stoclet (6).jpg, Detail of the Stoclet Palace's façade, made of reinforced concrete covered with marble plaques


New materials and technologies

New materials and technologies, especially
reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having hig ...
, were key to the development and appearance of Art Deco. The first concrete house was built in 1853 in the Paris suburbs by François Coignet. In 1877 Joseph Monier introduced the idea of strengthening the concrete with a mesh of iron rods in a grill pattern. In 1893, Auguste Perret built the first concrete garage in Paris, then an apartment building, house, then, in 1913, the
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées () is an entertainment venue standing at 15 avenue Montaigne in Paris. It is situated near Avenue des Champs-Élysées, from which it takes its name. Its eponymous main hall may seat up to 1,905 people, while th ...
. The theatre was denounced by one critic as the "Zeppelin of Avenue Montaigne", an alleged Germanic influence, copied from the Vienna Secession. Thereafter, the majority of Art Deco buildings were made of reinforced concrete, which gave greater freedom of form and less need for reinforcing pillars and columns. Perret was also a pioneer in covering the concrete with ceramic tiles, both for protection and decoration. The architect
Le Corbusier Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , , ), was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture. He was ...
first learned the uses of reinforced concrete working as a draftsman in Perret's studio. Other new technologies that were important to Art Deco were new methods in producing plate glass, which was less expensive and allowed much larger and stronger windows, and for mass-producing aluminium, which was used for building and window frames and later, by Corbusier,
Warren McArthur Warren McArthur (1885–1961) was an American industrial and furniture designer who specialized in aluminum tubular furniture during the 1930s. Early life and career Warren McArthur, Jr. was born in Chicago, Illinois to Warren McArthur, Sr., ...
, and others, for lightweight furniture.


Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (1910–1913)

File:Théâtre des Champs-Élysées DSC09330.jpg,
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées () is an entertainment venue standing at 15 avenue Montaigne in Paris. It is situated near Avenue des Champs-Élysées, from which it takes its name. Its eponymous main hall may seat up to 1,905 people, while th ...
by Auguste Perret at 15, avenue Montaigne, Paris (1910–1913). Reinforced concrete gave architects the ability to create new forms and bigger spaces. File:"La Danse", bas-relief d'Antoine Bourdelle (Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Paris).jpg, ''La Danse'', bas-relief on the façade of the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées by
Antoine Bourdelle Antoine Bourdelle (30 October 1861 – 1 October 1929), born Émile Antoine Bordelles, was an influential and prolific French sculptor and teacher. He was a student of Auguste Rodin, a teacher of Giacometti and Henri Matisse, and an important fi ...
(1912) File:Theatre Champs Elysees 35.jpg, Interior of the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, with Bourdelle's bas-reliefs over the stage File:Plafond du Théâtre des Champs-Élysées à Paris.JPG, Dome of the Theater, with Art Deco rose design by Maurice Denis
The
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées () is an entertainment venue standing at 15 avenue Montaigne in Paris. It is situated near Avenue des Champs-Élysées, from which it takes its name. Its eponymous main hall may seat up to 1,905 people, while th ...
(1910–1913), by Auguste Perret, was the first landmark Art Deco building completed in Paris. Previously,
reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having hig ...
had been used only for industrial and apartment buildings, Perret had built the first modern reinforced-concrete apartment building in Paris on rue Benjamin Franklin in 1903–04. Henri Sauvage, another important future Art Deco architect, built another in 1904 at 7, rue Trétaigne (1904). From 1908 to 1910, the 21-year-old Le Corbusier worked as a draftsman in Perret's office, learning the techniques of concrete construction. Perret's building had clean rectangular form, geometric decoration and straight lines, the future trademarks of Art Deco. The décor of the theatre was also revolutionary; the façade was decorated with high reliefs by
Antoine Bourdelle Antoine Bourdelle (30 October 1861 – 1 October 1929), born Émile Antoine Bordelles, was an influential and prolific French sculptor and teacher. He was a student of Auguste Rodin, a teacher of Giacometti and Henri Matisse, and an important fi ...
, a dome by Maurice Denis, paintings by Édouard Vuillard, and an Art Deco curtain by Ker-Xavier Roussel. The theatre became the venue for many of the first performances of the
Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Revolution disrupted society. A ...
. Perret and Sauvage became the leading Art Deco architects in Paris in the 1920s.


Salon d'Automne (1903–1914)

File:Scheherazade (Rimsky-Korsakov) 02 by L. Bakst 2.jpg, Set for
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov . At the time, his name was spelled Николай Андреевичъ Римскій-Корсаковъ. la, Nicolaus Andreae filius Rimskij-Korsakov. The composer romanized his name as ''Nicolas Rimsk ...
's ballet '' Sheherazade'' by
Léon Bakst Léon Bakst (russian: Леон (Лев) Николаевич Бакст, Leon (Lev) Nikolaevich Bakst) – born as Leyb-Khaim Izrailevich (later Samoylovich) Rosenberg, Лейб-Хаим Израилевич (Самойлович) Розенбе ...
(1910) File:Art Deco Armchair.jpg, Art Deco armchair made for art collector Jacques Doucet (1912–13) File:Display at Salon D'Automne (1913).jpg, Display of early Art Deco furnishings by the Atelier français at the 1913 Salon d'Automne from ''Art et décoration'' magazine (1914)
At its birth between 1910 and 1914, Art Deco was an explosion of colours, featuring bright and often clashing hues, frequently in floral designs, presented in furniture upholstery, carpets, screens, wallpaper and fabrics. Many colourful works, including chairs and a table by
Maurice Dufrêne Maurice Dufrêne (1876–1955) was a French decorative artist who headed the ''Maîtrise'' workshop of the ''Galeries Lafayette'' department store. Life Maurice Dufrêne was born in Paris in 1876. His father had a wholesale commodities business. ...
and a bright Gobelin carpet by Paul Follot were presented at the 1912 Salon des artistes décorateurs. In 1912–1913 designer Adrien Karbowsky made a floral chair with a parrot design for the hunting lodge of art collector Jacques Doucet. The furniture designers Louis Süe and André Mare made their first appearance at the 1912 exhibit, under the name of the ''Atelier français'', combining polychromatic fabrics with exotic and expensive materials, including ebony and ivory. After World War I, they became one of the most prominent French interior design firms, producing the furniture for the first-class salons and cabins of the French transatlantic
ocean liner An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). Ca ...
s. The vivid hues of Art Deco came from many sources, including the exotic set designs by
Léon Bakst Léon Bakst (russian: Леон (Лев) Николаевич Бакст, Leon (Lev) Nikolaevich Bakst) – born as Leyb-Khaim Izrailevich (later Samoylovich) Rosenberg, Лейб-Хаим Израилевич (Самойлович) Розенбе ...
for the
Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Revolution disrupted society. A ...
, which caused a sensation in Paris just before World War I. Some of the colours were inspired by the earlier
Fauvism Fauvism /ˈfoʊvɪzm̩/ is the style of ''les Fauves'' (French language, French for "the wild beasts"), a group of early 20th-century modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong colour over the Representation (arts), repr ...
movement led by Henri Matisse; others by the Orphism of painters such as Sonia Delaunay; others by the movement known as
Les Nabis Les Nabis (French: les nabis, ) were a group of young French artists active in Paris from 1888 until 1900, who played a large part in the transition from impressionism and academic art to abstract art, symbolism and the other early movements of m ...
, and in the work of symbolist painter Odilon Redon, who designed fireplace screens and other decorative objects. Bright shades were a feature of the work of fashion designer Paul Poiret, whose work influenced both Art Deco fashion and interior design.


Cubism

File:Raymond Duchamp-Villon, 1912, Projet d'hôtel, Maquette de la façade de la Maison Cubiste, published in Les Peintres Cubistes, 1913.jpg, Design for the façade of ''
La Maison Cubiste ''La Maison Cubiste'' (''The Cubist House''), also called ''Projet d'hôtel'', was an architectural installation in the ''Art Décoratif'' section of the 1912 Paris ''Salon d'Automne'' which presented a Cubist vision of architecture and design. Cr ...
'' (''Cubist House'') by Raymond Duchamp-Villon (1912) File:Raymond Duchamp-Villon, 1912, La Maison Cubiste (Cubist House) at the Salon d'Automne, 1912, detail of the entrance. Photograph by Duchamp-Villon.jpg, Detail of the entrance of ''La Maison Cubiste'' at the 1912 Salon d'Automne File:La Maison Cubiste, Le Salon Bourgeois, Salon d'Automne, 1912, Paris.jpg, ''Le Salon Bourgeois'', designed by André Mare inside ''La Maison Cubiste'', in the decorative arts section of the 1912 Salon d'Automne. Metzinger's ''
Femme à l'Éventail ''Femme à l'Éventail'' (also known as ''L'Éventail vert'', ''Woman with a Fan'', and ''The Lady'') is an oil painting created in 1912 by the French artist and theorist Jean Metzinger (1883–1956). The painting was exhibited at the Salon d'Au ...
'' can be seen hanging on the left wall. File:Jacques Doucet's hôtel particulier stairs, 33 rue Saint-James, Neuilly-sur-Seine, 1929 photograph by Pierre Legrain.jpg, Stairway in the hôtel particulier of fashion designer-art collector Jacques Doucet in Paris, designed by Joseph Csaky (1927). The geometric forms of
Cubism Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture. In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassemble ...
had an important influence on Art Deco. File:Jacques Doucet's hôtel particulier, 33 rue Saint-James, Neuilly-sur-Seine, 1929 photograph Pierre Legrain.jpg, Another view of Doucet's hôtel particulier (1927). Picasso's '' Les Demoiselles d'Avignon'' is hanging in the background. File:Josef Chochol, 1912-13, Cubist villa in Libušina Street 3-49, Vyšehrad, Prague, Czech Republic.jpg, Cubist villa at 3-49 Libušina Street, Vyšehrad ( Prague), by
Josef Chochol Josef Chochol (13 December 1880, Písek – 6 July 1956, Prague) was a Czech architect. Education Chochol studied architecture at the polytechnic in Prague (1908–24), then at the academy in Vienna, under the guidance of Otto Wagner (1907 ...
(1912–13). Chochol was one of three Czech architects (members of the Mánes Union of Fine Arts), with Pavel Janák and Josef Gočár, influenced by Cubism.
The art movement known as
Cubism Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture. In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassemble ...
appeared in France between 1907 and 1912, influencing the development of Art Deco. In ''Art Deco Complete: The Definitive Guide to the Decorative Arts of the 1920s and 1930s'' Alastair Duncan writes "Cubism, in some bastardized form or other, became the lingua franca of the era's decorative artists." The Cubists, themselves under the influence of
Paul Cézanne Paul Cézanne ( , , ; ; 19 January 1839 – 22 October 1906) was a French artist and Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th-century conception of artistic endeavour to a ...
, were interested in the simplification of forms to their geometric essentials: the cylinder, the sphere, the cone. In 1912, the artists of the Section d'Or exhibited works considerably more accessible to the general public than the analytical Cubism of Picasso and Braque. The Cubist vocabulary was poised to attract fashion, furniture and interior designers. The 1912 writings of André Vera, ''Le Nouveau style'', published in the journal ''L'Art décoratif'', expressed the rejection of
Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
forms (asymmetric, polychrome and picturesque) and called for ''simplicité volontaire, symétrie manifeste, l'ordre et l'harmonie'', themes that would eventually become common within Art Deco; though the Deco style was often extremely colourful and often complex. In the ''Art Décoratif'' section of the 1912 Salon d'Automne, an architectural installation was exhibited known as ''
La Maison Cubiste ''La Maison Cubiste'' (''The Cubist House''), also called ''Projet d'hôtel'', was an architectural installation in the ''Art Décoratif'' section of the 1912 Paris ''Salon d'Automne'' which presented a Cubist vision of architecture and design. Cr ...
''. The façade was designed by Raymond Duchamp-Villon. The décor of the house was by André Mare. ''La Maison Cubiste'' was a furnished installation with a façade, a staircase, wrought iron banisters, a bedroom, a living room—the ''Salon Bourgeois'', where paintings by Albert Gleizes, Jean Metzinger, Marie Laurencin, Marcel Duchamp,
Fernand Léger Joseph Fernand Henri Léger (; February 4, 1881 – August 17, 1955) was a French painting, painter, sculpture, sculptor, and film director, filmmaker. In his early works he created a personal form of cubism (known as "tubism") which he gradually ...
and Roger de La Fresnaye were hung. Thousands of spectators at the salon passed through the full-scale model. The façade of the house, designed by Duchamp-Villon, was not very radical by modern standards; the lintels and pediments had prismatic shapes, but otherwise the façade resembled an ordinary house of the period. For the two rooms, Mare designed the wallpaper, which featured stylized roses and floral patterns, along with upholstery, furniture and carpets, all with flamboyant and colourful motifs. It was a distinct break from traditional décor. The critic Emile Sedeyn described Mare's work in the magazine ''Art et Décoration'': "He does not embarrass himself with simplicity, for he multiplies flowers wherever they can be put. The effect he seeks is obviously one of picturesqueness and gaiety. He achieves it." The Cubist element was provided by the paintings. The installation was attacked by some critics as extremely radical, which helped make for its success. This architectural installation was subsequently exhibited at the 1913 Armory Show, New York City, Chicago and Boston. Thanks largely to the exhibition, the term "Cubist" began to be applied to anything modern, from women's haircuts to clothing to theater performances." The Cubist influence continued within Art Deco, even as Deco branched out in many other directions. In 1927, Cubists Joseph Csaky, Jacques Lipchitz, Louis Marcoussis, Henri Laurens, the sculptor Gustave Miklos, and others collaborated in the decoration of a Studio House, rue Saint-James,
Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; literally 'Neuilly on Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is a commune in the department of Hauts-de-Seine in France, just west of Paris. Immediately adjacent to the city, the area is composed of mostly select residentia ...
, designed by the architect Paul Ruaud and owned by the French fashion designer Jacques Doucet, also a collector of
Post-Impressionist Post-Impressionism (also spelled Postimpressionism) was a predominantly French art movement that developed roughly between 1886 and 1905, from the last Impressionist exhibition to the birth of Fauvism. Post-Impressionism emerged as a reaction ag ...
art by Henri Matisse and Cubist paintings (including '' Les Demoiselles d'Avignon'', which he bought directly from Picasso's studio). Laurens designed the fountain, Csaky designed Doucet's staircase, Lipchitz made the fireplace mantel, and Marcoussis made a Cubist rug. Besides the Cubist artists, Doucet brought in other Deco interior designers to help in decorating the house, including Pierre Legrain, who was in charge of organizing the decoration, and Paul Iribe, Marcel Coard, André Groult, Eileen Gray and Rose Adler to provide furniture. The décor included massive pieces made of macassar ebony, inspired by African art, and furniture covered with Morocco leather, crocodile skin and snakeskin, and patterns taken from African designs.
Cubism's adumbrated geometry became coin of the realm in the 1920s. Art Deco's development of Cubism's selective geometry into a wider array of shapes carried Cubism as a pictorial taxonomy to a much broader audience and wider appeal. (Richard Harrison Martin, Metropolitan Museum of Art)


Influences


Pre-World War I European styles

File:George Barbier (1882-1932), Vaslav Nijinsky (1890-1950), 1913 1.jpg,
Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Revolution disrupted society. A ...
influences – Drawing of the dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, by Paris fashion artist
Georges Barbier George Barbier (), né Georges Augustin Barbier, (1882–1932) was one of the great French illustrators of the early 20th century. Biography Born in Nantes, France on 16 October 1882, Barbier was 29 years old when he mounted his first exhib ...
(1913) File:Chest of drawers, by Jacques Dubois, 1750-1755 - Waddesdon Manor - Buckinghamshire, England - DSC07774.jpg, Rococo – Chest of drawers, by Jacques Dubois (1750–1755), various wood types and gilt bronze mounts, Waddesdon Manor,
Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...
, UK File:Paul Iribe, cassettiera, parigi 1919 ca.jpg, Rococo influences – Commode, by Paul Iribarne Garay (), mahogany and tulip wood frame, slate top, green-tinted shagreen upholstery, ebony knobs, base and garlands, Museum of Decorative Arts, Paris File:Immeuble 21ter Boulevard Diderot - Paris XII (FR75) - 2023-07-25 - 2.jpg, Beaux Arts architectureBoulevard Diderot no. 21, Paris, unknown architect () File:Avenue de Versailles immeuble Paul Delaroche 1928.jpg, Beaux Arts influences – Avenue de Versailles no. 70-72, Paris, "Modern" decor in an established typology, designed by Paul Delaplace and sculpted by Jean Boucher (1928) File:Corner table by Jean-Francois-Therese Chalgrin, 1770 - Corcoran Gallery of Art - DSC01284.JPG, Louis XVI style – Corner table, by Jean-Francois-Therese Chalgrin (1770), gilded wood, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. File:Art Deco dressing table (1919-20).jpg, Louis XVI style influences – Dressing table and chair set, by Paul Follot (1919), marble and wood encrusted, lacquered and gilded, Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris File:Mercury Pajou Louvre RF1624.jpg,
Neoclassicism Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassicism was ...
– ''Mercury'' or ''The Trade'', by
Augustin Pajou Augustin Pajou (19 September 1730 – 8 May 1809) was a French sculptor, born in Paris. At eighteen he won the Prix de Rome, and at thirty exhibited his ''Pluton tenant Cerbère enchaîné'' (now in the Louvre). Selected works Pajou's portrait ...
(1780), marble, Louvre, Paris File:Rockefeller Center MAM.JPG, Neoclassical influences – '' Prometheus'', a stylised Art Deco update of classical sculpture, by Paul Manship (1936), gilded bronze, Rockefeller Center, New York City File:Hôtel Guimard 2019.jpg,
Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
Hôtel Guimard ( Avenue Mozart no. 122), Paris, by
Hector Guimard Hector Guimard (, 10 March 1867 – 20 May 1942) was a French architect and designer, and a prominent figure of the Art Nouveau style. He achieved early fame with his design for the Castel Beranger, the first Art Nouveau apartment building ...
(1909) File:Avenue Montaigne (47128639262).jpg, Art Nouveau influences – Sinuous curves on the façade of Avenue Montaigne no. 26, Paris, by Louis Duhayon and Marcel Julien (1937)
Art Deco was not a single style, but a collection of different and sometimes contradictory styles. In architecture, Art Deco was the successor to (and reaction against) Art Nouveau, a style which flourished in Europe between 1895 and 1900, and coexisted with the Beaux-Arts and neoclassical that were predominant in European and American architecture. In 1905 Eugène Grasset wrote and published ''Méthode de Composition Ornementale, Éléments Rectilignes,'' in which he systematically explored the decorative (ornamental) aspects of geometric elements, forms, motifs and their variations, in contrast with (and as a departure from) the undulating Art Nouveau style of
Hector Guimard Hector Guimard (, 10 March 1867 – 20 May 1942) was a French architect and designer, and a prominent figure of the Art Nouveau style. He achieved early fame with his design for the Castel Beranger, the first Art Nouveau apartment building ...
, so popular in Paris a few years earlier. Grasset stressed the principle that various simple geometric shapes like triangles and squares are the basis of all compositional arrangements. The reinforced-concrete buildings of Auguste Perret and Henri Sauvage, and particularly the
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées () is an entertainment venue standing at 15 avenue Montaigne in Paris. It is situated near Avenue des Champs-Élysées, from which it takes its name. Its eponymous main hall may seat up to 1,905 people, while th ...
, offered a new form of construction and decoration which was copied worldwide.


Ancient and non-European civilizations

File:The Hathor-headed columns of the Mammisi (birth house), Philae, Egypt (49813135922).jpg, alt=Ancient Egyptian art - Vegetal capitals in the courtyard of the Isis Temple, Philae, Egypt, unknown architect, 380 BC–117 AD: 30, Ancient Egyptian art – Vegetal
capitals Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...
in the courtyard of the Isis Temple, Philae, Egypt, unknown architect (380 BC–117 AD) Robe, 1964.18.1(2).jpg, Egyptian influences – Dress with lotus flowers inspired by Ancient Egyptian decoration, by Jenny (couturier) and Lesage (embroiderer) (1925), silk, metallic thread, and crocheted embroidery, Musée Galliera, Paris File:Ancient ziggurat at Ali Air Base Iraq 2005.jpg, Mesopotamian artZiggurat of Ur in
Tell el-Muqayyar Ur was an important Sumerian city-state in ancient Mesopotamia, located at the site of modern Tell el-Muqayyar ( ar, تل ٱلْمُقَيَّر) in south Iraq's Dhi Qar Governorate. Although Ur was once a coastal city near the mouth of the ...
, Dhi Qar Province, Iraq, unknown architect (21st century BC) File:Western Union building, Manhattan jeh crop.jpg, Mesopotamian influences –
Western Union Building 60 Hudson Street, formerly known as the Western Union Building, is a 24-story telecommunications building in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Built in 1928–1930, it was one of several Art Deco-style buildings designed ...
( Hudson Street no. 60) in New York City, by
Voorhees, Gmelin and Walker Voorhees, Gmelin and Walker was a prestigious New York architectural firm. The firm had an illustrious heritage, the parent company being founded in New York City by Cyrus L.W. Eidlitz in 1885. In 1900 he added partner Andrew C. McKenzie and when ...
(1928–1930) File:Yaxchilan Lintel 24.jpg, Pre-Columbian art (in this case Mayan) –
Yaxchilan Lintel 24 Lintel 24 is the designation given by modern archaeologists to an ancient Maya limestone sculpture from Yaxchilan, in modern Chiapas, Mexico. The lintel dates to about 723–726 AD, placing it within the Maya Late Classic period. Its mid-relie ...
(702 AD), limestone, British Museum, London File:450 Sutter St. lobby 1.JPG, Pre-Columbian influences (in this case Mayan) – Interior detail of
450 Sutter Street 450 Sutter Street, also called the Four Fifty Sutter Building, is a twenty-six-floor, 105-meter (344-foot) skyscraper in San Francisco, California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast ...
in San Francisco, California, by
Timothy L. Pflueger Timothy Ludwig Pflueger (September 26, 1892 – November 20, 1946) was an architect, interior designer and architectural lighting designer in the San Francisco Bay Area in the first half of the 20th century. Together with James Rupert Miller, Ja ...
(1929) File:Statuette Holoholo-Musée ethnologique de Berlin.jpg, Sub-Saharian
African African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...
(in this case produced by the Holoholo people) – Statuette of a woman (19th or early 20th centuries), wood, Ethnological Museum of Berlin File:Henri navarre, maschera per una fontana, vetro, ante 1937.jpg, Sub-Saharian African influences – Mascaron for a fountain, by Henri Navarre (1937), Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris
In decoration, many different styles were borrowed and used by Art Deco. They included pre-modern art from around the world and observable at the Musée du Louvre, Musée de l'Homme and the Musée national des Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie. There was also popular interest in archaeology due to excavations at
Pompeii Pompeii (, ) was an ancient city located in what is now the ''comune'' of Pompei near Naples in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area (e.g. at Boscoreale, Stabiae), was buried ...
, Troy, and the tomb of the 18th dynasty Pharaoh Tutankhamun. Artists and designers integrated motifs from ancient Egypt, Africa, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, Asia, Mesoamerica and Oceania with Machine Age elements.


Early 20th-century avant-garde movements

File:Amedeo Modigliani, Head of a Woman, 1910-1911, NGA 46716.jpg, Primitivism – ''Head of a Woman'', by
Amedeo Modigliani Amedeo Clemente Modigliani (, ; 12 July 1884 – 24 January 1920) was an Italian painter and sculptor who worked mainly in France. He is known for portraits and nudes in a modern style characterized by a surreal elongation of faces, necks, and ...
(1910–11), limestone,
National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of char ...
, Washington, D.C. File:Bust for a shop window, by an anonymous Belgian artist, circa 1920, painted papier-mâché, private collection, Cologne.jpg, Primitivist influences – Bust for a shop window, anonymous Belgian artist (), painted papier-mâché, private collection, Cologne, Germany File:Casa Rietveld Schröder 02.jpg, '' De Stijl'' – Rietveld Schröder House in Utrecht, Netherlands, by Gerrit Rietveld (1924) File:Pavillon du tourisme de Robert Mallet-Stevens (UAM, Centre Pompidou, Paris) (43200558625).jpg, ''De Stijl'' influences – Pavillon du Tourisme, by Robert Mallet-Stevens, International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, Paris (1925) File:Pablo Picasso, 1909-10, Figure dans un Fauteuil (Seated Nude, Femme nue assise), oil on canvas, 92.1 x 73 cm, Tate Modern, London.jpg,
Cubism Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture. In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassemble ...
– ''Figure dans un Fauteuil (Seated Nude, Femme nue assise)'', by Pablo Picasso (1909–10), oil on canvas, Tate Modern, London File:Cubic coffee service - Erik Magnussen (27986651569).jpg, Cubist influences – Cubic coffee service, by Erik Magnussen (1927), silver, in a temporary exhibition called the " Jazz Age" at the Cleveland Museum of Art, US File:Klinom Krasnym Bej Belych.JPG, Constructivism – '' Beat the Whites with the Red Wedges'', by El Lissitzky (1919–1920), lithographic poster, Russian State Library, Moscow File:Clock - Jean Goulden (38866282265).jpg, Constructivist influences – Clock, decorated with flat geometric shapes, by Jean Goulden (1928), silvered bronze with enamel, Stephen E. Kelly Collection File:Metropolis-new-tower-of-babel.png,
Expressionist theatre Expressionism was a movement in drama and theatre that principally developed in Germany in the early decades of the 20th century. It was then popularized in the United States, Spain, China, the U.K., and all around the world. Similar to the broader ...
and
film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
– Scene from '' Metropolis'', by Fritz Lang (1927) File:Stitched Panorama of the Apollo theatre near Victoria, London 167 (5058015607).jpg, Influences of the Expressionist theatre and film – Interior of the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London, by Ernest Wamsley Lewis (1928–1930) File:Casa a gradinata con ascensori dai quattro piani stradali 1914- Sant'Elia.jpg,
Futurism Futurism ( it, Futurismo, link=no) was an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy, and to a lesser extent in other countries, in the early 20th century. It emphasized dynamism, speed, technology, youth, violence, and objects such ...
– Staircase house with elevators from four street levels, part of ''La Città Nuova'', by
Antonio Sant'Elia Antonio Sant'Elia (; 30 April 1888 – 10 October 1916) was an Italian architect and a key member of the Futurist movement in architecture. He left behind almost no completed works of architecture and is primarily remembered for his bold sk ...
(1914), ink and pencil on paper, Musei Civici, Como, Italy File:25 Rue du Laos Paryż, Île-de-France (50594191012).jpg, Futurist influences – Rue du Laos no. 25 in Paris, by Charles Thomas (1930) File:Berlin, Mitte, Schuetzenstrasse, Mosse-Zentrum 05.jpg, Expressionist architectureRudolf Mosse Printing and Publishing Company Building in Berlin, by
Erich Mendelsohn Erich Mendelsohn (21 March 1887 – 15 September 1953) was a German architect, known for his expressionist architecture in the 1920s, as well as for developing a dynamic Functionalism (architecture), functionalism in his projects for department ...
(1921–1923) File:Aux Trois-Quartiers, Paris, with it's original facade.jpg, Expressionist architecture influences – ''Aux Trois-Quartiers'' department store in Paris, by Louis Faure-Dujarric (1932)
Other styles borrowed included
Futurism Futurism ( it, Futurismo, link=no) was an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy, and to a lesser extent in other countries, in the early 20th century. It emphasized dynamism, speed, technology, youth, violence, and objects such ...
, Orphism, Functionalism, and Modernism in general. Cubism discovers its decorative potential within the Art Deco aesthetic, when transposed from the canvas onto a textile material or wallpaper. Sonia Delaunay conceives her dress models in an abstract and geometric style, "as live paintings or sculptures of living forms". Cubist-like designs are created by Louis Barrilet in the stained-glass windows of the American bar at the Atrium Casino in Dax (1926), but also including names of fashionable cocktails. In architecture, the clear contrast between horizontal and vertical volumes, specific both to Russian Constructivism and the Frank Lloyd Wright- Willem Marinus Dudok line, becomes a common device in articulating Art Deco façades, from individual homes and tenement buildings to cinemas or oil stations. Art Deco also used the clashing colours and designs of Fauvism, notably in the work of Henri Matisse and André Derain, inspired the designs of art deco textiles, wallpaper, and painted ceramics. It took ideas from the high fashion vocabulary of the period, which featured geometric designs, chevrons, zigzags, and stylized bouquets of flowers. It was influenced by discoveries in Egyptology, and growing interest in the Orient and in African art. From 1925 onwards, it was often inspired by a passion for new machines, such as airships, automobiles and ocean liners, and by 1930 this influence resulted in the style called
Streamline Moderne Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by aerodynamic design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In industrial design ...
.


Style of luxury and modernity

File:The boudoir of fashion designer Jeanne Lanvin, now in the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris.png, The boudoir of fashion designer Jeanne Lanvin (1922–1925), now in the Museum of Decorative Arts, Paris File:Bath of Jeanne Lanvin, of Sienna marble, with decoration of carved stucco and bronze, now in the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris.jpg, Bath of Jeanne Lanvin, of Sienna marble, with decoration of carved stucco and bronze (1922–1925) File:Alavoine, Weil-Worgelt Study, ca. 1928-1930..jpg, An Art Deco study by the Paris design firm of Alavoine, now in the
Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown H ...
, New York City (1928–1930) File:Le salon de verre, designed by Paul Ruaud, furniture by Eileen Gray, for Madame Mathieu-Levy (boutique J. Suzanne Talbot), Paris, 1922.jpg, Glass Salon (''Le salon de verre'') designed by
Paul Ruaud Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...
with furniture by Eileen Gray, for Madame Mathieu-Levy (milliner of the boutique J. Suzanne Talbot), at 9, rue de Lota, Paris (1922)
Art Deco was associated with both luxury and modernity; it combined very expensive materials and exquisite craftsmanship put into modernistic forms. Nothing was cheap about Art Deco: pieces of furniture included ivory and silver inlays, and pieces of Art Deco jewellery combined diamonds with platinum, jade, coral and other precious materials. The style was used to decorate the first-class salons of ocean liners, deluxe trains, and skyscrapers. It was used around the world to decorate the great movie palaces of the late 1920s and 1930s. Later, after the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
, the style changed and became more sober. A good example of the luxury style of Art Deco is the boudoir of the fashion designer Jeanne Lanvin, designed by
Armand-Albert Rateau Armand-Albert Rateau (born 24 February 1882 in Paris; died there 20 February 1938) was a French furniture maker and interior designer. In 2006, ''The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts'' characterized him as "the most eminent of the ensembliers ...
(1882–1938) made between 1922 and 1925. It was located in her house at 16 rue Barbet de Jouy, in Paris, which was demolished in 1965. The room was reconstructed in the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris. The walls are covered with moulded ''lambris'' below sculpted bas-reliefs in stucco. The alcove is framed with columns of marble on bases and a plinth of sculpted wood. The floor is of white and black marble, and in the cabinets decorative objects are displayed against a background of blue silk. Her bathroom had a tub and washstand made of sienna marble, with a wall of carved stucco and bronze fittings. By 1928, the style had become more comfortable, with deep leather club chairs. The study designed by the Paris firm of Alavoine for an American businessman in 1928–30, is now in the
Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown H ...
. By the 1930s, the style had been somewhat simplified, but it was still extravagant. In 1932, the decorator Paul Ruaud made the Glass Salon for Suzanne Talbot. It featured a serpentine armchair and two tubular armchairs by Eileen Gray, a floor of mat silvered glass slabs, a panel of abstract patterns in silver and black lacquer, and an assortment of animal skins.


International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts (1925)

File:Postcard of Exposition des Art Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes.jpg, Postcard of the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris (1925) File:Paris-FR-75-Expo 1925 Arts décoratifs-entrée Place de la Concorde.jpg, Entrance to the 1925 Exposition from Place de la Concorde by Pierre Patout File:Paris 1925 59878912.jpg, The Polish pavilion, designed by
Józef Czajkowski Józef Czajkowski; 21 January 1872, in Warsaw – 27 July 1947, in Warsaw) was a Polish architect, furniture designer, and painter of international renown. Czajowski's arts in all forms sought to distill and improve upon that which was best ab ...
and Wojciech Jastrzębowski File:Paris-FR-75-Expo 1925 Arts décoratifs-pavillon des Galeries Lafayette.jpg, Pavilion of the Galeries Lafayette department store File:Frontal view of the Hotel du Collectionneur at the Exposition des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes (1925).jpg, The Hotel du Collectionneur, pavilion of the furniture manufacturer Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, designed by Pierre Patout File:Salon of the Hotel du Collectionneur (1925).jpg, Salon of the Hôtel du Collectionneur, furnished by Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, painting by Jean Dupas, design by Pierre Patout
The event that marked the zenith of the style and gave it its name was the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts which took place in Paris from April to October in 1925. This was officially sponsored by the French government, and covered a site in Paris of 55 acres, running from the
Grand Palais The Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées ( en, Great Palace of the Elysian Fields), commonly known as the Grand Palais (English: Great Palace), is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located at the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arro ...
on the right bank to
Les Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides ( en, "house of invalids"), commonly called Les Invalides (), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as ...
on the left bank, and along the banks of the Seine. The Grand Palais, the largest hall in the city, was filled with exhibits of decorative arts from the participating countries. There were 15,000 exhibitors from twenty different countries, including Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the new Soviet Union. Germany was not invited because of tensions after the war; the United States, misunderstanding the purpose of the exhibit, declined to participate. The event was visited by sixteen million people during its seven-month run. The rules of the exhibition required that all work be modern; no historical styles were allowed. The main purpose of the Exhibit was to promote the French manufacturers of luxury furniture, porcelain, glass, metalwork, textiles, and other decorative products. To further promote the products, all the major Paris department stores, and major designers had their own pavilions. The Exposition had a secondary purpose in promoting products from French colonies in Africa and Asia, including ivory and exotic woods. The Hôtel du Collectionneur was a popular attraction at the Exposition; it displayed the new furniture designs of Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, as well as Art Deco fabrics, carpets, and a painting by Jean Dupas. The interior design followed the same principles of symmetry and geometric forms which set it apart from Art Nouveau, and bright colours, fine craftsmanship rare and expensive materials which set it apart from the strict functionality of the Modernist style. While most of the pavilions were lavishly decorated and filled with hand-made luxury furniture, two pavilions, those of the Soviet Union and Pavilion de L'Esprit Nouveau, built by the magazine of that name run by Le Corbusier, were built in an austere style with plain white walls and no decoration; they were among the earliest examples of modernist architecture.


Late Art Deco

File:1 Piața Sfântul Ștefan, Bucharest (01).jpg, Piața Sfântul Ștefan no. 1 in Bucharest, by unknown architect () File:St Jan de Doperkerk in Molenbeek.jpg, Church of St. John the Baptist in Molenbeek ( Brussels), by Joseph Diongre (1930–1932) File:Miami Beach FL Lincoln Mall Lincoln Theatre01.jpg, Lincoln Theater in
Miami Beach, Florida Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and artificial island, man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the ...
, by
Thomas W. Lamb Thomas White Lamb (May 5th, 1870 – February 26th, 1942) was a Scottish-born, American architect. He was one of the foremost designers of theaters and cinemas in the 20th century. Career Born in Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom, Thomas W. La ...
(1936) File:Paris 75016 Fontaines du Trocadéro 20090815.jpg, Palais de Chaillot in Paris by Louis-Hippolyte Boileau, Jacques Carlu and Léon Azéma from the 1937 Paris International Exposition File:L'exposition Auguste Perret (Conseil économique, social et environnemental, Paris) (11872278295).jpg, Stairway of the Economic and Social Council in Paris, originally the Museum of Public Works, built for the 1937 Exposition, by Auguste Perret (1937) File:KingCityHS-RobertStantonTheater.jpg, High School in King City, California, built by Robert Stanton for the Works Progress Administration (1939)
In 1925, two different competing schools coexisted within Art Deco: the traditionalists, who had founded the Society of Decorative Artists; included the furniture designer Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, Jean Dunand, the sculptor Antoine Bourdelle, and designer Paul Poiret; they combined modern forms with traditional craftsmanship and expensive materials. On the other side were the modernists, who increasingly rejected the past and wanted a style based upon advances in new technologies, simplicity, a lack of decoration, inexpensive materials, and mass production. The modernists founded their own organisation,
The French Union of Modern Artists The French Union of Modern Artists (french: Union des artistes modernes; UAM) was a movement made up of decorative artists and architects founded in France on 15 May 1929 and active until 1959. Initially made up of around 20 dissidents of the Soc ...
, in 1929. Its members included architects Pierre Chareau, Francis Jourdain, Robert Mallet-Stevens, Corbusier, and, in the Soviet Union, Konstantin Melnikov; the Irish designer Eileen Gray; the French designer Sonia Delaunay; and the jewellers
Georges Fouquet Georges Fouquet (1862 – 1957) was a French jewelry designer best known for his Art Nouveau creations. In Paris, he joined his father in the family business in 1891 In 1900 he opened a new jewelry shop at 6 rue Royale in Paris, designed by the ill ...
and
Jean Puiforcat Jean Elysée Puiforcat (pronounced ''pwee-for-KAH'') (5 August 1897 – 20 October 1945) was a French silversmith, sculptor and designer. ''Miller's Antiques Encyclopedia'' calls Puiforcat the "most important French Art Deco silversmith." Life ...
. They fiercely attacked the traditional art deco style, which they said was created only for the wealthy, and insisted that well-constructed buildings should be available to everyone, and that form should follow function. The beauty of an object or building resided in whether it was perfectly fit to fulfil its function. Modern industrial methods meant that furniture and buildings could be mass-produced, not made by hand. The Art Deco interior designer Paul Follot defended Art Deco in this way: "We know that man is never content with the indispensable and that the superfluous is always needed...If not, we would have to get rid of music, flowers, and perfumes..!" However, Le Corbusier was a brilliant publicist for modernist architecture; he stated that a house was simply "a machine to live in", and tirelessly promoted the idea that Art Deco was the past and modernism was the future. Le Corbusier's ideas were gradually adopted by architecture schools, and the aesthetics of Art Deco were abandoned. The same features that made Art Deco popular in the beginning, its craftsmanship, rich materials and ornament, led to its decline. The Great Depression that began in the United States in 1929, and reached Europe shortly afterwards, greatly reduced the number of wealthy clients who could pay for the furnishings and art objects. In the Depression economic climate, few companies were ready to build new skyscrapers. Even the Ruhlmann firm resorted to producing pieces of furniture in series, rather than individual hand-made items. The last buildings built in Paris in the new style were the Museum of Public Works by Auguste Perret (now the French Economic, Social and Environmental Council), the Palais de Chaillot by Louis-Hippolyte Boileau, Jacques Carlu and Léon Azéma, and the Palais de Tokyo of the 1937 Paris International Exposition; they looked out at the grandiose pavilion of Nazi Germany, designed by
Albert Speer Berthold Konrad Hermann Albert Speer (; ; 19 March 1905 – 1 September 1981) was a German architect who served as the Minister of Armaments and War Production in Nazi Germany during most of World War II. A close ally of Adolf Hitler, he ...
, which faced the equally grandiose socialist-realist pavilion of Stalin's Soviet Union. After World War II, the dominant architectural style became the International Style pioneered by Le Corbusier, and
Mies van der Rohe Ludwig Mies van der Rohe ( ; ; born Maria Ludwig Michael Mies; March 27, 1886August 17, 1969) was a German-American architect. He was commonly referred to as Mies, his surname. Along with Alvar Aalto, Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius and Frank Lloyd ...
. A handful of Art Deco hotels were built in
Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which sep ...
after World War II, but elsewhere the style largely vanished, except in industrial design, where it continued to be used in automobile styling and products such as jukeboxes. In the 1960s, it experienced a modest academic revival, thanks in part to the writings of architectural historians such as Bevis Hillier. In the 1970s efforts were made in the United States and Europe to preserve the best examples of Art Deco architecture, and many buildings were restored and repurposed.
Postmodern architecture Postmodern architecture is a style or movement which emerged in the 1960s as a reaction against the austerity, formality, and lack of variety of modern architecture, particularly in the international style advocated by Philip Johnson and Henry- ...
, which first appeared in the 1980s, like Art Deco, often includes purely decorative features. Deco continues to inspire designers, and is often used in contemporary fashion, jewellery, and toiletries.


Painting

File:Mural-Ariel-Rios-Marsh-1.jpg, ''Workers sorting the mail'', a mural in the Ariel Rios Federal Building, Washington, D.C., by Reginald Marsh (1936) File:Mural-Ariel-Rios-Rockwell-Kent-1.jpg, ''Art in the Tropics'', mural in the William Jefferson Clinton Federal Building, Washington, D.C., by Rockwell Kent (1938) File:Entrance of Rockefeller Center.JPG, Detail of ''Time'', ceiling mural in lobby of
30 Rockefeller Plaza 30 Rockefeller Plaza (officially the Comcast Building; formerly RCA Building and GE Building) is a skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Completed in 1933, the 66 ...
in New York City, by Josep Maria Sert (1941) File:78 - bD1l4xJ (50062833242).jpg, ''
The Dream A dream is an experience during sleep. Dream, The Dream, Dreams, etc. may also refer to: Art Paintings * ''Le Rêve'' (Detaille), an 1888 painting by Édouard Detaille * ''Le Rêve'' (Picasso) (''The Dream'' in French), 1932 oil painting by ...
'', an oil-on-canvas painting, private collection, by Tamara de Lempicka (1927)
There was no section set aside for painting at the 1925 Exposition. Art deco painting was by definition decorative, designed to decorate a room or work of architecture, so few painters worked exclusively in the style, but two painters are closely associated with Art Deco. Jean Dupas painted Art Deco murals for the Bordeaux Pavilion at the 1925 Decorative Arts Exposition in Paris, and also painted the picture over the fireplace in the Maison du Collectionneur exhibit at the 1925 Exposition, which featured furniture by Ruhlmann and other prominent Art Deco designers. His murals were also prominent in the décor of the French ocean liner SS ''Normandie''. His work was purely decorative, designed as a background or accompaniment to other elements of the décor. The other painter closely associated with the style is Tamara de Lempicka. Born in Poland, she emigrated to Paris after the
Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...
. She studied under Maurice Denis and
André Lhote André Lhote (5 July 1885 – 24 January 1962) was a French Cubist painter of figure subjects, portraits, landscapes and still life. He was also active and influential as a teacher and writer on art. Early life and education Lhote was born ...
, and borrowed many elements from their styles. She painted portraits in a realistic, dynamic and colourful Art Deco style. In the 1930s, a dramatic new form of Art Deco painting appeared in the United States. During the Great Depression, the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration was created to give work to unemployed artists. Many were given the task of decorating government buildings, hospitals and schools. There was no specific art deco style used in the murals; artists engaged to paint murals in government buildings came from many different schools, from American regionalism to social realism; they included Reginald Marsh, Rockwell Kent and the Mexican painter Diego Rivera. The murals were Art Deco because they were all decorative and related to the activities in the building or city where they were painted: Reginald Marsh and Rockwell Kent both decorated U.S. postal buildings, and showed postal employees at work while Diego Rivera depicted automobile factory workers for the Detroit Institute of Arts. Diego Rivera's mural '' Man at the Crossroads'' (1933) for
30 Rockefeller Plaza 30 Rockefeller Plaza (officially the Comcast Building; formerly RCA Building and GE Building) is a skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Completed in 1933, the 66 ...
featured an unauthorized portrait of Lenin. When Rivera refused to remove Lenin, the painting was destroyed and a new mural was painted by the Spanish artist Josep Maria Sert.


Sculpture


Monumental and public sculpture

File:Folie Bergère Paris (36268584).jpeg, Gold detail on the façade of the Folies Bergère cabaret
music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...
in Paris, by Maurice Pico (1926) File:Christ the Redeemer - Cristo Redentor.jpg, '' Christ the Redeemer'', soapstone sculpture on
Corcovado Mountain Corcovado (korcovádo) which means "hunchback" in Portuguese language, Portuguese, is a mountain in central Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a 710-metre (2,329 ft) granite peak located in the Tijuca Forest, a national park. Corcovado hill lie ...
, Rio de Janeiro, by Paul Landowski (1931) File:Guardian of Traffic (cropped).jpg, ''Guardians of Traffic'', pylon on Hope Memorial Bridge in Cleveland, Ohio, by Henry Hering and Frank Walker (1932) File:Lobby, (former) Daily Express Building by Ronald Atkinson.jpg, ''Britain'', relief sculpture in the lobby of the former Daily Express Building in London, by Ronald Atkinson (1932) File:Niagara Mohawk Building 1.jpg, ''Spirit of Light'' or ''Spirit of Power'', metal sculpture on the façade of the
Niagara Mohawk Building The Niagara Mohawk Building is an art deco classic building in Syracuse, New York. The building was built in 1932 and was headquarters for the Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation, what was "then the nation's largest electric utility company". Th ...
in
Syracuse, N.Y. Syracuse ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, Yonkers, and Rochester. At the 2020 census, the city' ...
, by Clayton Frye (1932) File:Rockefeller Center entrance (4674369705).jpg, ''Wisdom'', portal decoration at the Rockefeller Center in New York City, by
Lee Lawrie Lee Oscar Lawrie (October 16, 1877 – January 23, 1963) was an American architectural sculptor and a key figure in the American art scene preceding World War II. Over his long career of more than 300 commissions Lawrie's style evolved through ...
(1933) File:Nowogrodzka 45 w Warszawie orzeł.jpg, Polish coat of arms (unofficial) on the façade of the post office in Warsaw, by Julian Puterman-Sadłowski (1934) File:New York City, May 2014 - 033.JPG, '' Atlas'', bronze sculpture in front of the Rockefeller Center, by Lawrie (1936–37) File:NixFedBldgPhilaMailBas1.jpg, '' Mail Delivery East'', one of four bas-relief sculptures on the Nix Federal Building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by Edmond Amateis (1937) File:"One is Man Controlling Trade," 1942 statue by Michael Lantz, at Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, D.C LCCN2010641732.tif, ''
Man Controlling Trade ''Man Controlling Trade'' is the name given to two monumental equestrian statues created by Michael Lantz for the Federal Trade Commission Building in Washington, D.C. under the United States Department of the Treasury Section of Painting and S ...
'' at the
Federal Trade Commission Building The Federal Trade Commission Building is a federal building which serves as the headquarters of the Federal Trade Commission. Completed in 1938, the building was designated by Congress as a contributing structure to the Pennsylvania Avenue National ...
in Washington, D.C., by
Michael Lantz Michael Lantz (born April 6, 1908 – April 1988) was an American sculptor and medalist. Lantz attended the National Academy of Design and the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design, and also worked as a "handy boy" in the sculptor Lee Lawrie's New ...
(1942)
Sculpture was a very common and integral feature of Art Deco architecture. In France, allegorical bas-reliefs representing dance and music by
Antoine Bourdelle Antoine Bourdelle (30 October 1861 – 1 October 1929), born Émile Antoine Bordelles, was an influential and prolific French sculptor and teacher. He was a student of Auguste Rodin, a teacher of Giacometti and Henri Matisse, and an important fi ...
decorated the earliest Art Deco landmark in Paris, the
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées () is an entertainment venue standing at 15 avenue Montaigne in Paris. It is situated near Avenue des Champs-Élysées, from which it takes its name. Its eponymous main hall may seat up to 1,905 people, while th ...
, in 1912. The 1925 Exposition had major sculptural works placed around the site, pavilions were decorated with sculptural friezes, and several pavilions devoted to smaller studio sculpture. In the 1930s, a large group of prominent sculptors made works for the 1937 at Chaillot. Alfred Janniot made the relief sculptures on the façade of the Palais de Tokyo. The Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, and the esplanade in front of the Palais de Chaillot, facing the Eiffel Tower, was crowded with new statuary by
Charles Malfray Charles Malfray (19 July 1887, Orléans – 28 May 1940, Dijon) was a French sculptor. Born the son of an Orléans stonemason he was a student of the École des Beaux-Arts d'Orléans. At seventeen, he attended the School of Decorative Arts in Pari ...
, Henry Arnold, and many others. Public art deco sculpture was almost always representational, usually of heroic or allegorical figures related to the purpose of the building or room. The themes were usually selected by the patrons, not the artist. Abstract sculpture for decoration was extremely rare. In the United States, the most prominent Art Deco sculptor for public art was Paul Manship, who updated classical and mythological subjects and themes in an Art Deco style. His most famous work was the statue of Prometheus at Rockefeller Center in New York City, a 20th-century adaptation of a classical subject. Other important works for Rockefeller Center were made by
Lee Lawrie Lee Oscar Lawrie (October 16, 1877 – January 23, 1963) was an American architectural sculptor and a key figure in the American art scene preceding World War II. Over his long career of more than 300 commissions Lawrie's style evolved through ...
, including the sculptural façade and the Atlas statue. During the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
in the United States, many sculptors were commissioned to make works for the decoration of federal government buildings, with funds provided by the WPA, or Works Progress Administration. They included sculptor Sidney Biehler Waugh, who created stylized and idealized images of workers and their tasks for federal government office buildings. In San Francisco, Ralph Stackpole provided sculpture for the façade of the new San Francisco Stock Exchange building. In Washington D.C.,
Michael Lantz Michael Lantz (born April 6, 1908 – April 1988) was an American sculptor and medalist. Lantz attended the National Academy of Design and the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design, and also worked as a "handy boy" in the sculptor Lee Lawrie's New ...
made works for the
Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction ov ...
building. In Britain, Deco public statuary was made by Eric Gill for the BBC Broadcasting House, while Ronald Atkinson decorated the lobby of the former Daily Express Building in London (1932). One of the best known and certainly the largest public Art Deco sculpture is the '' Christ the Redeemer'' by the French sculptor Paul Landowski, completed between 1922 and 1931, located on a mountain top overlooking Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.


Studio sculpture

File:Joseph Csaky, Tête, ca 1920 (front and side view) limestone, 60 cm, Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, Holland.tiff, ''Tête'' (front and side view), limestone, by Joseph Csaky (), Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, Netherlands File:Le chasseur de Pierre Le Faguays.png, ''The Hunter'' by Pierre Le Faguays (1920s) File:Actaeon - Paul Manship (25890637528).jpg, ''Actaeon'' by Paul Manship (1925), in a temporary exhibition called the "Jazz Age" at the Cleveland Museum of Art, US File:Speed - Harriet Frishmuth.jpg, ''Speed'', a design for a radiator ornament by Harriet Whitney Frishmuth (1925) File:The Flight of Europa.jpg, ''The Flight of Europa'', bronze with gold leaf, by Paul Manship (1925), Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City File:Art Deco Sculpture.jpg, ''Tânără'' (Girl), bronze, ivory and onyx, by Demétre Chiparus () File:Demetre Chiparus 2.jpg, ''Dansatoare'' (Dancer), bronze and ivory, by Chiparus () Many early Art Deco sculptures were small, designed to decorate salons. One genre of this sculpture was called the Chryselephantine statuette, named for a style of ancient Greek temple statues made of gold and ivory. They were sometimes made of bronze, or sometimes with much more lavish materials, such as ivory, onyx, alabaster, and gold leaf. One of the best-known Art Deco salon sculptors was the Romanian-born Demétre Chiparus, who produced colourful small sculptures of dancers. Other notable salon sculptors included Ferdinand Preiss,
Josef Lorenzl Josef Lorenzl (1 September 1892 – 15 August 1950) was an Austrian sculptor and ceramicist of the Art Deco period, the same era as Ferdinand Preiss (1882–1943) and Demetre Chiparus (1886–1947). Early life Lorenzl was born on 1 September 1882 ...
, Alexander Kelety, Dorothea Charol and Gustav Schmidtcassel. Another important American sculptor in the studio format was Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, who had studied with
Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...
in Paris. Pierre Le Paguays was a prominent Art Deco studio sculptor, whose work was shown at the 1925 Exposition. He worked with bronze, marble, ivory, onyx, gold, alabaster and other precious materials.
François Pompon François Pompon (9 May 1855 – 6 May 1933) was a French sculptor and animalier. Pompon made his Salon debut in 1879, exhibiting a statue of Victor Hugo's Cosette (from ''Les Misérables''). He was a pioneer of modern stylized animalier scu ...
was a pioneer of modern stylised animalier sculpture. He was not fully recognised for his artistic accomplishments until the age of 67 at the Salon d'Automne of 1922 with the work ''Ours blanc'', also known as ''The White Bear'', now in the
Musée d'Orsay The Musée d'Orsay ( , , ) ( en, Orsay Museum) is a museum in Paris, France, on the Left Bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art ...
in Paris. Parallel with these Art Deco sculptors, more avant-garde and abstract modernist sculptors were at work in Paris and New York City. The most prominent were
Constantin Brâncuși Constantin Brâncuși (; February 19, 1876 – March 16, 1957) was a Romanian Sculpture, sculptor, painter and photographer who made his career in France. Considered one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th-century and a pioneer of ...
, Joseph Csaky, Alexander Archipenko, Henri Laurens, Jacques Lipchitz, Gustave Miklos,
Jean Lambert-Rucki Jean Lambert-Rucki (1888–1967) was a Polish avant-garde artist, sculptor, and graphic artist. He was best known for his participation in the Cubist, Surrealist and Art Deco movements. He exhibited at the 1913 Salon d'Automne in Paris; from ...
, Jan et Joël Martel,
Chana Orloff Chana Orloff ( he, חנה אורלוף; 12 July 1888 – 16 December 1968) was Ukrainian-born Israeli Art deco and figurative art sculptor. Biography Chana Orloff was born in Starokonstantinov Russian Empire (now Ukraine). She immigrated to ...
and Pablo Gargallo.Edith Balas, 1998, ''Joseph Csaky: A Pioneer of Modern Sculpture''
Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society


Graphic arts

File:Bakst Nizhinsky.jpg, Program design for ''Afternoon of a Faun'' by
Léon Bakst Léon Bakst (russian: Леон (Лев) Николаевич Бакст, Leon (Lev) Nikolaevich Bakst) – born as Leyb-Khaim Izrailevich (later Samoylovich) Rosenberg, Лейб-Хаим Израилевич (Самойлович) Розенбе ...
for
Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Revolution disrupted society. A ...
(1912) File:Deutsche Werkbund-Ausstellung Kunst in Handwerk, Industrie und Handel Architektur Köln 1914 Oct. Peter Behrens A. Molling & Comp. KG Hannover Berlin.jpg, Deutscher Werkbund exhibition poster by Peter Behrens (1914) File:Vanity Fair cover by Georges Lepape 1919.jpg, A '' Vanity Fair'' cover by Georges Lepape (1919) File:Weinold Reiss - Drawing in two colors.jpg, ''Interpretation of Harlem Jazz I'' by Winold Reiss () File:Erté Harpers Bazar cover Feb 1922.jpg, Cover of ''
Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...
'' by Erté (1922) File:Brightest London is best reached by Underground, subway poster, 1924.jpg, London Underground poster by Horace Taylor (1924) File:Moulin Rouge Music-Hall.jpg, Moulin Rouge poster by Charles Gesmar (1925) File:JesterCoverGWBridge.jpg, Cover of the ''Jester'' of
Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...
, unattributed (1931)
The Art Deco style appeared early in the graphic arts, in the years just before World War I. It appeared in Paris in the posters and the costume designs of Léon Bakst for the Ballets Russes, and in the catalogues of the fashion designers Paul Poiret. The illustrations of
Georges Barbier George Barbier (), né Georges Augustin Barbier, (1882–1932) was one of the great French illustrators of the early 20th century. Biography Born in Nantes, France on 16 October 1882, Barbier was 29 years old when he mounted his first exhib ...
, and Georges Lepape and the images in the fashion magazine ''La Gazette du bon ton'' perfectly captured the elegance and sensuality of the style. In the 1920s, the look changed; the fashions stressed were more casual, sportive and daring, with the woman models usually smoking cigarettes. American fashion magazines such as '' Vogue'', '' Vanity Fair'' and ''
Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...
'' quickly picked up the new style and popularized it in the United States. It also influenced the work of American book illustrators such as Rockwell Kent. In Germany, the most famous poster artist of the period was
Ludwig Hohlwein Ludwig Hohlwein (27 July 1874 in Wiesbaden – 15 September 1949 in Berchtesgaden) was a German poster artist, a pioneer of the ''Sachplakat'' style. He trained and practiced as an architect in Munich until 1911, when he moved to Berlin and swit ...
, who created colourful and dramatic posters for music festivals, beers, and, late in his career, for the Nazi Party. During the Art Nouveau period, posters usually advertised theatrical products or cabarets. In the 1920s, travel posters, made for steamship lines and airlines, became extremely popular. The style changed notably in the 1920s, to focus attention on the product being advertised. The images became simpler, precise, more linear, more dynamic, and were often placed against a single-color background. In France, popular Art Deco designers included Charles Loupot and Paul Colin, who became famous for his posters of American singer and dancer Josephine Baker. Jean Carlu designed posters for Charlie Chaplin movies, soaps, and theatres; in the late 1930s he emigrated to the United States, where, during the World War, he designed posters to encourage war production. The designer Charles Gesmar became famous making posters for the singer Mistinguett and for Air France. Among the best-known French Art Deco poster designers was Cassandre, who made the celebrated poster of the ocean liner SS ''Normandie'' in 1935. In the 1930s a new genre of posters appeared in the United States during the Great Depression. The Federal Art Project hired American artists to create posters to promote tourism and cultural events.


Architecture

File:P1030956 Paris Ier La Samaritaine rwk.JPG, La Samaritaine department store in Paris by Henri Sauvage (1925–1928) File:Los Angeles City Hall building.jpg, Los Angeles City Hall by John Parkinson,
John C. Austin John Corneby Wilson Austin (February 13, 1870 – September 3, 1963) was an architect and civic leader who participated in the design of several landmark buildings in Southern California, including the Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles City Hall, ...
, and
Albert C. Martin Sr. Albert Carey Martin (September 16, 1879 – April 9, 1960) was an American architect and engineer. He founded the architectural firm of Albert C. Martin & Associates, now known as A.C. Martin Partners, and designed some of Southern California' ...
(1928) File:Eastern Columbia Building-6.jpg, Entrance of the Eastern Columbia Building in Los Angeles, California, by Claud Beelman (1930) File:La Villa Empain en 2012, après restauration..jpg, Entrance of the Villa Empain in Ixelles ( Brussels) by Michel Polak (1930–1934) File:Cincinnati Union Terminal murals 2019a.jpg, Cincinnati Union Terminal in Cincinnati, Ohio, by
Alfred T. Fellheimer Alfred T. Fellheimer (March 9, 1875 – 1959) was an American architect. He began his career with Reed & Stem, where he was lead architect for Grand Central Terminal. Beginning in 1928, his firm Fellheimer & Wagner designed Cincinnati Union ...
and
Roland A. Wank Roland A. Wank (1898–1970) was a Hungarian-American modernist architect, best known for his work for the Tennessee Valley Authority in the United States. Wank was educated at the Royal Joseph Technical University in Budapest. He worked a ...
(1933) File:Nice, France, Église Jeanne d’Arc.jpg, Church of St. Joan of Arc in Nice, France, by Jacques Droz (1934) File:Diet of Japan Kokkai 2009.jpg, National Diet Building in Tokyo, after a design by Watanabe Fukuzo (1936) File:Vertical panorama of the Mayakovskaya Metro Station.jpg, Mayakovskaya Metro Station in Moscow by Alexey Dushkin (1936)


Styles

The architectural style of art deco made its debut in Paris in 1903–04, with the construction of two apartment buildings in Paris, one by Auguste Perret on rue Benjamin Franklin and the other on rue Trétaigne by Henri Sauvage. The two young architects used reinforced concrete for the first time in Paris residential buildings; the new buildings had clean lines, rectangular forms, and no decoration on the façades; they marked a clean break with the
art nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
style. Between 1910 and 1913, Perret used his experience in concrete apartment buildings to construct the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, 15 avenue Montaigne. Between 1925 and 1928 Sauvage constructed the new art deco façade of La Samaritaine department store in Paris. The Art Deco style was not limited to buildings on land; the ocean liner SS ''Normandie'', whose first voyage was in 1935, featured Art Deco design, including a dining room whose ceiling and decoration were made of glass by Lalique. Art Deco architecture is sometimes classified into three types: Zigzag
oderne Oderne is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Uście Gorlickie, within Gorlice County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland, close to the border with Slovakia. It lies approximately north-east of Uście Gorlickie, south of ...
(aka Jazz Moderne); Classic Moderne; and
Streamline Moderne Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by aerodynamic design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In industrial design ...
.


Zigzag Moderne

Zigzag
oderne Oderne is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Uście Gorlickie, within Gorlice County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland, close to the border with Slovakia. It lies approximately north-east of Uście Gorlickie, south of ...
(aka Jazz Moderne) was the first style to arrive in the United States. " Zigzag" refers to the stepping of the outline of a skyscraper to exaggerate its height, and was mainly used for large public and commercial buildings, in particular hotels, movie theaters, restaurants, skyscrapers, and department stores.


Classic Moderne

Classic Moderne has a more graceful appearance, and there is less ornamentation. Classic Moderne is also sometimes referred to as PWA (
Public Works Administration The Public Works Administration (PWA), part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recove ...
) Moderne or Depression Moderne, as it was undertaken by the PWA during the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
.


Streamline Moderne

In the late 1930s, a new variety of Art Deco architecture became common; it was called
Streamline Moderne Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by aerodynamic design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In industrial design ...
or simply Streamline, or, in France, the ''Style Paquebot'', or Ocean Liner style. Buildings in the style had rounded corners and long horizontal lines; they were built of reinforced concrete and were almost always white; and they sometimes had nautical features, such as railings and portholes that resembled those on a ship. The rounded corner was not entirely new; it had appeared in Berlin in 1923 in the Mossehaus by
Erich Mendelsohn Erich Mendelsohn (21 March 1887 – 15 September 1953) was a German architect, known for his expressionist architecture in the 1920s, as well as for developing a dynamic Functionalism (architecture), functionalism in his projects for department ...
, and later in the
Hoover Building The Hoover Building is a Grade II* listed building of Art Deco architecture designed by Wallis, Gilbert and Partners located in Perivale in the London Borough of Ealing. The site opened in 1933 as the UK headquarters, manufacturing plant and repa ...
, an industrial complex in the London suburb of Perivale. In the United States, it became most closely associated with transport; Streamline moderne was rare in office buildings but was often used for bus stations and airport terminals, such as the terminal at La Guardia airport in New York City that handled the first transatlantic flights, via the PanAm Clipper flying boats; and in roadside architecture, such as gas stations and diners. In the late 1930s a series of diners, modelled upon streamlined railroad cars, were produced and installed in towns in New England; at least two examples still remain and are now registered historic buildings. File:Broadcasting House by Stephen Craven.jpg, The nautical-style rounded corner of
Broadcasting House Broadcasting House is the headquarters of the BBC, in Portland Place and Langham Place, London. The first radio broadcast from the building was made on 15 March 1932, and the building was officially opened two months later, on 15 May. The main ...
in London (1931) File:Immeuble de Pierre Patout Bd Victor Paris XV.jpg, Building in the ''Paquebot'' or ocean liner style, at 3, boulevard Victor, Paris, by Pierre Patout (1935) File:Pan-Pacific Auditorium entrance.jpg, Pan-Pacific Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, by Wurdeman & Becket (1936) File:LaGuardia MarineAirTerminal 1974.jpg, The Marine Air Terminal at La Guardia Airport (1937) was New York City's terminal for the flights of Pan Am Clipper flying boats to Europe. File:Hoover Building No 1.jpg, The
Hoover Building The Hoover Building is a Grade II* listed building of Art Deco architecture designed by Wallis, Gilbert and Partners located in Perivale in the London Borough of Ealing. The site opened in 1933 as the UK headquarters, manufacturing plant and repa ...
canteen in Perivale in London's suburbs, by Wallis, Gilbert and Partners (1938) File:Ancien Institut national de Radiodiffusion - vue d'ensemble.JPG, Former Belgian National Institute of Radio Broadcasting in Ixelles ( Brussels) by Joseph Diongre (1938) File:World Fair 1939 LOC gsc.5a03061.jpg, The Ford Pavilion at the
1939 New York World's Fair The 1939–40 New York World's Fair was a world's fair held at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York, United States. It was the second-most expensive American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchas ...
File:First Church of Deliverance 2.jpg, Streamline Moderne church,
First Church of Deliverance First Church of Deliverance is a landmark Spiritual church located at 4315 South Wabash Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. First Church of Deliverance was founded by Reverend Clarence H. Cobbs on May 8, 1929. The church began wi ...
in Chicago, Illinois, by
Walter T. Bailey Walter Thomas Bailey (January 11, 1882 – February 21, 1941) was an American architect from Kewanee, Illinois. He was the first African American graduate with a bachelor of science degree in architectural engineering from the University of Illin ...
(1939). Towers added in 1948.


Building types


Skyscrapers

File:NYC - American Radiator Building.jpg, The American Radiator Building in New York City by Raymond Hood (1924) File:Carbide & Carbon Building, Chicago in May 2016.jpg,
Carbide & Carbon Building The Carbide & Carbon Building is a 37-story, landmark Art Deco high rise built in 1929, located on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. It was converted to a hotel in 2004. History The building was designed by the Burnham Brothers (the firm launched ...
in Chicago, Illinois, by Burnham Brothers (1929) File:Chrysler Building by David Shankbone Retouched.jpg, Chrysler Building in New York City by William Van Alen (1930) File:Empire State Building (aerial view).jpg,
Empire State Building The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of the st ...
in New York City by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon (1931) File:Pittsburgh-gulf-tower-2007.jpg, Gulf Tower in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, by Trowbridge & Livingston and
Edward Mellon Edward Purcell Mellon (1875-1953) was an American architect active in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and a member of the wealthy Mellon family. Early life Edward Purcell Mellon was born in 1875, the son of Thomas Alexander "Tom" Mellon (and grandson o ...
(1932) File:570 Lexington Avenue2.JPG, Crown of the General Electric Building (also known as 570 Lexington Avenue) in New York City by Cross & Cross (1933) File:GE Building by David Shankbone.JPG,
30 Rockefeller Plaza 30 Rockefeller Plaza (officially the Comcast Building; formerly RCA Building and GE Building) is a skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Completed in 1933, the 66 ...
, now the Comcast Building, in New York City by Raymond Hood (1933)
American skyscrapers marked the summit of the Art Deco style; they became the tallest and most recognizable modern buildings in the world. They were designed to show the prestige of their builders through their height, their shape, their color, and their dramatic illumination at night. The American Radiator Building by Raymond Hood (1924) combined Gothic and Deco modern elements in the design of the building. Black brick on the frontage of the building (symbolizing coal) was selected to give an idea of solidity and to give the building a solid mass. Other parts of the façade were covered in gold bricks (symbolizing fire), and the entry was decorated with marble and black mirrors. Another early Art Deco skyscraper was Detroit's Guardian Building, which opened in 1929. Designed by modernist
Wirt C. Rowland Wirt Clinton Rowland (December 1, 1878 – November 30, 1946) was an American architect best known for his work in Detroit, Michigan. Biography Rowland was born December 1, 1878, in Clinton, Michigan, to Clinton Charles and Melissa Ruth Ro ...
, the building was the first to employ stainless steel as a decorative element, and the extensive use of colored designs in place of traditional ornaments. New York City's skyline was radically changed by the Chrysler Building in Manhattan (completed in 1930), designed by William Van Alen. It was a giant seventy-seven-floor tall advertisement for Chrysler automobiles. The top was crowned by a stainless steel spire, and was ornamented by deco "gargoyles" in the form of stainless steel radiator cap decorations. The base of the tower, thirty-three stories above the street, was decorated with colorful art deco friezes, and the lobby was decorated with art deco symbols and images expressing modernity. The Chrysler Building was soon surpassed in height by the
Empire State Building The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of the st ...
by
William F. Lamb William Frederick Lamb (November 21, 1883 – September 8, 1952), was an American architect, chiefly known as one of the principal designers of the Empire State Building. Biography Lamb joined the New York architecture firm Carrère & Has ...
(1931), in a slightly less lavish Deco style and the RCA Building (now 30 Rockefeller Plaza) by Raymond Hood (1933) which together completely changed New York City's skyline. The tops of the buildings were decorated with Art Deco crowns and spires covered with stainless steel, and, in the case of the Chrysler building, with Art Deco gargoyles modeled after radiator ornaments, while the entrances and lobbies were lavishly decorated with Art Deco sculpture, ceramics, and design. Similar buildings, though not quite as tall, soon appeared in Chicago and other large American cities. Rockefeller Center added a new design element: several tall buildings grouped around an open plaza, with a fountain in the middle.


"Cathedrals of Commerce"

File:Interior of Fisher Building, Detroit.JPG, The Fisher Building in Detroit, Michigan, by Joseph Nathaniel French (1928) File:Detroit December 2015 30 (Guardian Building).jpg, Lower lobby of the Guardian Building in Detroit by Wirt Rowland (1929) File:450 Sutter St. lobby 2.JPG, Lobby of
450 Sutter Street 450 Sutter Street, also called the Four Fifty Sutter Building, is a twenty-six-floor, 105-meter (344-foot) skyscraper in San Francisco, California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast ...
in San Francisco, California, by
Timothy Pflueger Timothy Ludwig Pflueger (September 26, 1892 – November 20, 1946) was an architect, interior designer and architectural lighting designer in the San Francisco Bay Area in the first half of the 20th century. Together with James R. Miller, Pflue ...
(1929) File:Chrysler Building Lobby.jpg, Lobby of the Chrysler Building in New York City, by William Van Alen (1930) File:Chrysler building door detail crown.jpg, Interior door in the Chrysler Building (1930) File:Chandelier, Carew Tower.jpg, Ceiling and chandelier detail on the lobby of the Carew Tower in Cincinnati, Ohio, by
Walter W. Ahlschlager Walter William Ahlschlager (July 19, 1887 – March 28, 1965) was a 20th-century American architect. After being located in Chicago for many years, he established his office in Dallas, Texas in 1940. He died in Dallas. Noted designs *Davis Theat ...
(1930) File:Le salon du Maréchal Lyautey (CNHI) (3678836375).jpg, ''Salon d'Afrique'' of the Palais de la Porte Dorée in Paris, with furnitures by Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann and frescos by
Louis Bouquet Louis Bouquet (6 December 1885 – 25 February 1952) was a French artist and illustrator. Louis Bouquet was born in Lyon on 6 December 1885. He attended the École nationale des beaux-arts de Lyon and then the École nationale supérieure ...
(1931) File:Haltusch.jpg, Foyer of the Tuschinski Theatre in Amsterdam by Hijman Louis de Jong (1921)
The grand showcases of American Art Deco interior design were the lobbies of government buildings, theaters, and particularly office buildings. Interiors were extremely colorful and dynamic, combining sculpture, murals, and ornate geometric design in marble, glass, ceramics and stainless steel. An early example was the Fisher Building in Detroit, by Joseph Nathaniel French; the lobby was highly decorated with sculpture and ceramics. The Guardian Building (originally the Union Trust Building) in Detroit, by Wirt Rowland (1929), decorated with red and black marble and brightly colored ceramics, highlighted by highly polished steel elevator doors and counters. The sculptural decoration installed in the walls illustrated the virtues of industry and saving; the building was immediately termed the "Cathedral of Commerce". The Medical and Dental Building called
450 Sutter Street 450 Sutter Street, also called the Four Fifty Sutter Building, is a twenty-six-floor, 105-meter (344-foot) skyscraper in San Francisco, California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast ...
in San Francisco by
Timothy Pflueger Timothy Ludwig Pflueger (September 26, 1892 – November 20, 1946) was an architect, interior designer and architectural lighting designer in the San Francisco Bay Area in the first half of the 20th century. Together with James R. Miller, Pflue ...
was inspired by Mayan architecture, in a highly stylized form; it used pyramid shapes, and the interior walls were covered with highly stylized rows of hieroglyphs. In France, the best example of an Art Deco interior during this period was the Palais de la Porte Dorée (1931) by Albert Laprade, Léon Jaussely and Léon Bazin. The building (now the National Museum of Immigration, with an aquarium in the basement) was built for the Paris Colonial Exposition of 1931, to celebrate the people and products of French colonies. The exterior façade was entirely covered with sculpture, and the lobby created an Art Deco harmony with a wood parquet floor in a geometric pattern, a mural depicting the people of French colonies; and a harmonious composition of vertical doors and horizontal balconies.


Movie palaces

File:Pathe Tuschinski.jpg, Tuschinski Theatre in Amsterdam by Hijman Louis de Jong and Willem Kromhout (1921) File:Graumanegyptian-opening1922.jpg, Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...
( Los Angeles), California, by Meyer & Holler (1922) File:Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California LCCN2013635154.tif, Four-story high grand lobby of the
Paramount Theatre Paramount Theater or Paramount Theatre may refer to: Canada * Scotiabank Theatre or Paramount Theatre, a chain of theatres owned by Cineplex Entertainment ** Scotiabank Theatre Toronto or Paramount Theatre Toronto China * Paramount (Shanghai) o ...
in
Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...
, California, by
Timothy Pflueger Timothy Ludwig Pflueger (September 26, 1892 – November 20, 1946) was an architect, interior designer and architectural lighting designer in the San Francisco Bay Area in the first half of the 20th century. Together with James R. Miller, Pflue ...
(1932) File:Radio City Music Hall 3051638324 4a385c5623.jpg, Auditorium and stage of
Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...
in New York City by Edward Durell Stone and Donald Deskey (1932) File:Facade Rex.jpg, Grand Rex in Paris by Auguste Bluysen, John Eberson, Henri-Édouard Navarre and
Maurice Dufrêne Maurice Dufrêne (1876–1955) was a French decorative artist who headed the ''Maîtrise'' workshop of the ''Galeries Lafayette'' department store. Life Maurice Dufrêne was born in Paris in 1876. His father had a wholesale commodities business. ...
(1932) File:The Paramount, Shanghai.JPG, The Paramount in Shanghai, China, by S. J. Young (1933) File:Gaumont State Cinema Entrance.jpg, Gaumont State Cinema in London by George Coles (1937)
Many of the best surviving examples of Art Deco are cinemas built in the 1920s and 1930s. The Art Deco period coincided with the conversion of silent films to sound, and movie companies built large display destinations in major cities to capture the huge audience that came to see movies. Movie palaces in the 1920s often combined exotic themes with art deco style; Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood (1922) was inspired by ancient Egyptian tombs and pyramids, while the Fox Theater in Bakersfield, California attached a tower in California Mission style to an Art Deco Hall. The largest of all is
Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...
in New York City, which opened in 1932. Originally designed as theatrical performance space, it quickly transformed into a cinema, which could seat 6,015 customers. The interior design by Donald Deskey used glass, aluminum, chrome, and leather to create a visual escape from reality. The
Paramount Theatre Paramount Theater or Paramount Theatre may refer to: Canada * Scotiabank Theatre or Paramount Theatre, a chain of theatres owned by Cineplex Entertainment ** Scotiabank Theatre Toronto or Paramount Theatre Toronto China * Paramount (Shanghai) o ...
in Oakland, California, by Timothy Pflueger, had a colorful ceramic façade, a lobby four stories high, and separate Art Deco smoking rooms for gentlemen and ladies. Similar grand palaces appeared in Europe. The Grand Rex in Paris (1932), with its imposing tower, was the largest cinema in Europe after the 6,000 seats of the Gaumont-Palace (1931-1973). The Gaumont State Cinema in London (1937) had a tower modelled on the Empire State building, covered with cream ceramic tiles and an interior in an Art Deco-Italian Renaissance style. The Paramount Theatre in Shanghai, China (1933) was originally built as a dance hall called ''The gate of 100 pleasures''; it was converted to a cinema after the Communist Revolution in 1949, and now is a ballroom and disco. In the 1930s Italian architects built a small movie palace, the Cinema Impero, in
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The ...
in what is now Eritrea. Today, many of the movie theatres have been subdivided into multiplexes, but others have been restored and are used as cultural centres in their communities.


Decoration and motifs

File:Door decoration, 55 quai d'Orsay, Paris 75007, 23 December 2016.jpg, Birds – Quai d'Orsay no. 55 in Paris, designed by Louis-Hippolyte Boileau and carved by Léon Binet (1913) File:44 Calea Călărașilor, Bucharest (12).jpg, Allegorical representations – Pediment of the Mihai Zisman House (Calea Călărașilor no. 44) in Bucharest, by Soru (1920) File:Parfumerie Orsay fronton.tif, Stylized flowers (especially spiral flowers and converging fascicles) – Architectural element for the Parfumerie d'Orsay in Paris, by Georges Béal (1922) File:Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann (French, 1879-1933). Corner Cabinet, ca. 1923..jpg, The urn – Corner cabinet made of
mahogany Mahogany is a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Unive ...
with rose basket design of inlaid ivory, by Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann (1923),
Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown H ...
, New York City File:41 Avenue Montaigne, 75008 Paris, France 27 December 2016.jpg, The flower basket – Balconies and pediment of Avenue Montaigne no. 41 in Paris, unknown architect or sculptor (1924) File:Grille of the Cheney Silk Company Building, New York City, 1925, designed by the French metalworking company Ferrobrandt.jpg, Repeating patterns – Decorative ironwork of the Madison Belmont Building (
Madison Avenue Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Stre ...
no. 181–183) in New York City, by Ferrobrandt (1925) File:Porte d'honneur, by Edgar Brandt, 1925, at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts.jpg, The papyrus flower – Porte d'honneur, at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris, by Edgar Brandt (1925) File:Edgar brandt, porte da ascensore in ferro, vetro e bronzo, francia 1926 02.jpg, The foliage
scroll A scroll (from the Old French ''escroe'' or ''escroue''), also known as a roll, is a roll of papyrus, parchment, or paper containing writing. Structure A scroll is usually partitioned into pages, which are sometimes separate sheets of papyrus ...
– Elevator doors, by Brandt (1926), wrought iron, glass, patinated and gilded bronze, Calouste Gulbenkian Museum,
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
File:Gustave Simon caveau.jpg, Simplified reinterpretations of the Doric columns (with a basic rectangular
capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...
or base, or just as a shaft) – Grave of Gustave Simon in Préville Cemetery, Nancy, France, unknown architect (after 1926) File:Stage design for Meșterul Manole (The Master Builder Manole), by Victor Feodorov, 1927-1928, collection of the National Theatre, Bucharest, Romania.jpg, Ingenious games of light and darkness – Stage design for
Meșterul Manole In Romanian mythology The folklore of Romania is the collection of traditions of the Romanians. A feature of Romanian culture is the special relationship between folklore and the learned culture, determined by two factors. First, the rural c ...
(The Master Builder Manole), by Victor Feodorov (1927–28), collection of the National Theatre, Bucharest File:Paris La Samaritaine 374.JPG, The octagon-shaped
medallion A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...
– Sign of the La Samaritaine department store in Paris, by Henri Sauvage (1928) File:La Maison Bleue, porte d'entrée - Angers - 20110119.jpg, Mosaics – Maison bleue (Rue d'Alsace no. 28) in Angers, France, designed by Roger Jusserand, and decorated with mosaics by the Odorico fréres (1928) File:Chrysler Building Entrance - New York, NY, USA - August 18, 2015 04.jpg, The stepped motif – Entrance hall of the Chrysler Building in New York City, by
William Van Allen William Van Alen (August 10, 1883 – May 24, 1954) was an American architect, best known as the architect in charge of designing New York City's Chrysler Building (1928–30). Life William Van Alen was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1883 to ...
(1928–1930) File:28 Brook Street, Mayfair, January 2022 01.jpg, Vertical mouldings – Greybrook House ( Brook Street no. 28) in London, by Sir John Burnet & Partners (1928–29) File:20140702 Bucureşti 148.jpg, The sunburst – Detail of the
Telephones Company Building Telephones Company Building ( ro, Palatul Telefoanelor) is an Art Deco office building located on Calea Victoriei in Bucharest, Romania. It is now owned by Telekom România. Bucharest Palatul Telefoanelor in Bucharest is an Art Deco style buildin ...
( Calea Victoriei no. 37) in Bucharest, by Walter Froy, Louis S. Weeks and Edmond van Saanen Algi (1929–1934) File:Lamp - Paul Kiss (38691617495).jpg, The artesian fountain – Lamp, by
Paul Kiss Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
(), glass and metal, in a temporary exhibition called the "Jazz Age" at the Cleveland Museum of Art, US File:77 avenue des Champs-Élysées, Paris 8e 5.jpg, The cornucopia – Avenue des Champs-Élysées no. 77 in Paris, unknown architect () File:Console table detail 02 - Paul Fehér (25893303288).jpg, Complex zigzags – Foot of a console table, by Paul Fehér (), metal, in a temporary exhibition called the "Jazz Age" at the Cleveland Museum of Art File:55 Strada Maria Rosetti, Bucharest (04).jpg, Horizontal mouldings – Strada Maria Rosetti no. 55 in Bucharest, by unknown architect () File:Immeuble, 17-21 rue Gramme (11Fi 4578).jpg, Streamlining – Rue Gramme no. 17–21 in Paris, by Marcel Chappey (1930) File:Louis Vuitton Maison Champs Élysées (49570496372).jpg, An aesthetic of artificial lighting – Maison de France (now showroom for Louis Vuitton), Avenue des Champs-Élysées no. 101 in Paris, by Louis-Hippolyte Boileau and Charles-Henri Besnard (1931) File:Bucharest - Strada Ion Câmpineanu 11 (cropped top).jpg, Ziggurat – Union Hotel (Strada Ion Câmpineanu no. 11) in Bucharest, by Arghir Culina (1931) File:Villa Cavrois le vestibule (cropped).jpg, Vertical and horizontal luminous surfaces – Entrance hall of the Villa Cavrois in
Croix Croix (French for "cross") may refer to: Belgium * Croix-lez-Rouveroy, a village in municipality of Estinnes in the province of Hainaut France * Croix, Nord, in the Nord department * Croix, Territoire de Belfort, in the Territoire de Belfort depa ...
, France, by Rob Mallet-Stevens (1932) File:Grave of the colonel Paul Străjescu Family in the Bellu Cemetery in Bucharest, Romania (08).jpg, The undulating line – Relief on the Grave of the Străjescu Family in Bellu Cemetery, Bucharest, by George Cristinel (1934) File:Edificio del Parque - detalle 2.jpg, Decorative stylized lettering – Edificio del Parque in Mexico City, by Ernesto Buenrostro (1935)
Decoration in the Art Deco period went through several distinct phases. Between 1910 and 1920, as Art Nouveau was exhausted, design styles saw a return to tradition, particularly in the work of Paul Iribe. In 1912 André Vera published an essay in the magazine ''L'Art Décoratif'' calling for a return to the craftsmanship and materials of earlier centuries and using a new repertoire of forms taken from nature, particularly baskets and garlands of fruit and flowers. A second tendency of Art Deco, also from 1910 to 1920, was inspired by the bright colours of the artistic movement known as the Fauves and by the colourful costumes and sets of the Ballets Russes. This style was often expressed with exotic materials such as sharkskin, mother of pearl, ivory, tinted leather, lacquered and painted wood, and decorative inlays on furniture that emphasized its geometry. This period of the style reached its high point in the 1925 Paris Exposition of Decorative Arts. In the late 1920s and the 1930s, the decorative style changed, inspired by new materials and technologies. It became sleeker and less ornamental. Furniture, like architecture, began to have rounded edges and to take on a polished, streamlined look, taken from the streamline modern style. New materials, such as nickel or chrome-plated steel, aluminium and
bakelite Polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride, better known as Bakelite ( ), is a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, formed from a condensation reaction of phenol with formaldehyde. The first plastic made from synthetic components, it was developed ...
, an early form of plastic, began to appear in furniture and decoration. Throughout the Art Deco period, and particularly in the 1930s, the motifs of the décor expressed the function of the building. Theatres were decorated with sculpture which illustrated music, dance, and excitement; power companies showed sunrises, the Chrysler building showed stylized hood ornaments; The friezes of Palais de la Porte Dorée at the 1931 Paris Colonial Exposition showed the faces of the different nationalities of French colonies. The Streamline style made it appear that the building itself was in motion. The WPA murals of the 1930s featured ordinary people; factory workers, postal workers, families and farmers, in place of classical heroes.


Furniture

File:Paul follot, sedia, parigi 1914-16 ca.JPG, Chair by Paul Follot (1912–1914) File:Art Deco chair and screen (1912 and 1920).jpg, Armchair by Louis Süe (1912) and painted screen by André Mare (1920) File:Art Deco dressing table (1919-20).jpg, Dressing table and chair of marble and encrusted, lacquered, and gilded wood by Follot (1919–20) File:Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann (French, 1879-1933). Corner Cabinet, ca. 1923..jpg, Corner cabinet of Mahogany with rose basket design of inlaid ivory by Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann (1923) File:André Groult, cassettone antropomorphe, parigi, 1925 ca.jpg, Cabinet covered with shagreen or sharkskin by André Groult (1925) File:J.-E. Ruhlmann au Musée des Années 30 (Boulogne-Billancourt) (2132077838).jpg, Cabinet by Ruhlmann (1926) File:Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann (Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon) (5469658728).jpg, Cabinet design by Ruhlmann File:Gio ponti ed emilio lancia, sala da pranzo 'domus nova', 1927, 02.JPG, Furniture by Gio Ponti (1927) File:Desk of Adminiistrator Michel Roux-Spitz 1930.jpg, Desk of an administrator, by
Michel Roux-Spitz Michel Roux-Spitz (13 June 1888 – 15 July 1957) was a French architect. Life Roux-Spitz was born 13 June 1888 in Lyon. The son of an architect, he entered the École des Beaux-Arts, Lyon in the studio of Tony Garnier and then became a stud ...
for the 1930 Salon of Decorative Artists File:Fauteuil jazzclub.jpg, Art Deco club chair (1930s) File:"La Maison Leleu" au Musée des Années 30 (Boulogne-Billancourt) (2132078468).jpg, Late Art Deco furniture and rug by
Jules Leleu Jules Leleu (June 17, 1883 – 1961), was a French furniture designer. Career Born in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, Leleu studied decorative painting and at the age of 26 succeeded his father in the family painting business. With his brother he began ...
(1930s) File:Waterfall buffet table.jpg, A
Waterfall style Waterfall is a style of furniture design from the 1930s and 1940s. It was the most prevalent variation on Art Deco furniture during this time, primarily created for the mass market and for bedroom suites. Distinguishing features The style was dis ...
buffet table
French furniture from 1910 until the early 1920s was largely an updating of French traditional furniture styles, and the art nouveau designs of Louis Majorelle,
Charles Plumet Charles Plumet (17 May 1861 – 15 April 1928) was a French architect, decorator and ceramist. Life Charles Plumet was born in 1861. He became an architect and designed buildings in medieval and early French Renaissance styles. He collaborated wi ...
and other manufacturers. French furniture manufacturers felt threatened by the growing popularity of German manufacturers and styles, particularly the
Biedermeier The ''Biedermeier'' period was an era in Central Europe between 1815 and 1848 during which the middle class grew in number and the arts appealed to common sensibilities. It began with the Congress of Vienna at the end of the Napoleonic Wars in ...
style, which was simple and clean-lined. The French designer Frantz Jourdain, the President of the Paris Salon d'Automne, invited designers from Munich to participate in the 1910 Salon. French designers saw the new German style and decided to meet the German challenge. The French designers decided to present new French styles in the Salon of 1912. The rules of the Salon indicated that only modern styles would be permitted. All of the major French furniture designers took part in Salon: Paul Follot, Paul Iribe, Maurice Dufrêne, André Groult, André Mare and Louis Suë took part, presenting new works that updated the traditional French styles of Louis XVI and Louis Philippe with more angular corners inspired by Cubism and brighter colours inspired by Fauvism and the Nabis. The painter André Mare and furniture designer Louis Süe both participated the 1912 Salon. After the war the two men joined to form their own company, formally called the ''Compagnie des Arts Française'', but usually known simply as Suë and Mare. Unlike the prominent art nouveau designers like Louis Majorelle, who personally designed every piece, they assembled a team of skilled craftsmen and produced complete interior designs, including furniture, glassware, carpets, ceramics, wallpaper and lighting. Their work featured bright colors and furniture and fine woods, such as ebony encrusted with mother of pearl, abalone and silvered metal to create bouquets of flowers. They designed everything from the interiors of ocean liners to perfume bottles for the label of Jean Patou.The firm prospered in the early 1920s, but the two men were better craftsmen than businessmen. The firm was sold in 1928, and both men left. The most prominent furniture designer at the 1925 Decorative Arts Exposition was Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, from Alsace. He first exhibited his works at the 1913 Autumn Salon, then had his own pavilion, the "House of the Rich Collector", at the 1925 Exposition. He used only most rare and expensive materials, including ebony,
mahogany Mahogany is a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Unive ...
, rosewood,
ambon Ambon may refer to: Places * Ambon Island, an island in Indonesia ** Ambon, Maluku, a city on Ambon Island, the capital of Maluku province ** Governorate of Ambon, a colony of the Dutch East India Company from 1605 to 1796 * Ambon, Morbihan, a co ...
and other exotic woods, decorated with inlays of ivory, tortoise shell, mother of pearl, Little pompoms of silk decorated the handles of drawers of the cabinets. His furniture was based upon 18th-century models, but simplified and reshaped. In all of his work, the interior structure of the furniture was completely concealed. The framework usually of oak, was completely covered with an overlay of thin strips of wood, then covered by a second layer of strips of rare and expensive woods. This was then covered with a veneer and polished, so that the piece looked as if it had been cut out of a single block of wood. Contrast to the dark wood was provided by inlays of ivory, and ivory key plates and handles. According to Ruhlmann, armchairs had to be designed differently according to the functions of the rooms where they appeared; living room armchairs were designed to be welcoming, office chairs comfortable, and salon chairs voluptuous. Only a small number of pieces of each design of furniture was made, and the average price of one of his beds or cabinets was greater than the price of an average house.
Jules Leleu Jules Leleu (June 17, 1883 – 1961), was a French furniture designer. Career Born in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, Leleu studied decorative painting and at the age of 26 succeeded his father in the family painting business. With his brother he began ...
was a traditional furniture designer who moved smoothly into Art Deco in the 1920s; he designed the furniture for the dining room of the
Élysée Palace The Élysée Palace (french: Palais de l'Élysée; ) is the official residence of the President of the French Republic. Completed in 1722, it was built for nobleman and army officer Louis Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, who had been appointed Gover ...
, and for the first-class cabins of the steamship ''Normandie''. his style was characterized by the use of ebony, Macassar wood, walnut, with decoration of plaques of ivory and mother of pearl. He introduced the style of lacquered art deco furniture in the late 1920s, and in the late 1930s introduced furniture made of metal with panels of smoked glass. In Italy, the designer Gio Ponti was famous for his streamlined designs. The costly and exotic furniture of Ruhlmann and other traditionalists infuriated modernists, including the architect Le Corbusier, causing him to write a famous series of articles denouncing the ''arts décoratif'' style. He attacked furniture made only for the rich and called upon designers to create furniture made with inexpensive materials and modern style, which ordinary people could afford. He designed his own chairs, created to be inexpensive and mass-produced. In the 1930s, furniture designs adapted to the form, with smoother surfaces and curved forms. The masters of the late style included Donald Deskey, who was one of the most influential designers; he created the interior of the Radio City Music Hall. He used a mixture of traditional and very modern materials, including aluminium, chrome, and bakelite, an early form of plastic. Other top designers of Art Deco furniture of the 1930s in the United States included Gilbert Rohde,
Warren McArthur Warren McArthur (1885–1961) was an American industrial and furniture designer who specialized in aluminum tubular furniture during the 1930s. Early life and career Warren McArthur, Jr. was born in Chicago, Illinois to Warren McArthur, Sr., ...
, and
Kem Weber Karl Emanuel Martin "Kem" Weber (1889–1963) was an American furniture and industrial designer, architect, art director, and teacher who created several iconic designs of the 'Streamline' style. Early career Born in Berlin, Germany, Weber ...
. The
Waterfall style Waterfall is a style of furniture design from the 1930s and 1940s. It was the most prevalent variation on Art Deco furniture during this time, primarily created for the mass market and for bedroom suites. Distinguishing features The style was dis ...
was popular in the 1930s and 1940s, the most prevalent Art Deco form of furniture at the time. Pieces were typically of plywood finished with blond veneer and with rounded edges, resembling a waterfall.


Design

File:Duofold Desk Set.jpg,
Parker Duofold The Parker Duofold is a range of fountain pens produced by the Parker Pen Company. History The first model was produced in 1921 and was a large pen – 5.5 inches long when capped. It was made of a showy bright red hard rubber and expensively pr ...
desk set () File:Beau Brownie.jpg, ''Beau Brownie'' camera, design by Walter Dorwin Teague for
Eastman Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...
(1930) File:Philips 930.jpg, Philips radio set (1931) File:SLNSW 22573 Chrysler Airflow.jpg,
Chrysler Airflow The Chrysler Airflow is a full-size car produced by Chrysler from 1934 to 1937. The Airflow was the first full-size American production car to use streamlining as a basis for building a sleeker automobile, one less susceptible to air resistance. ...
sedan, designed by Carl Breer (1934) File:Bugatti Aérolithe AV.jpg, Bugatti Aérolithe (1936) File:Vintage Philco (Big Bullet) Table Radio, Model 37-610T, Broadcast & Short Wave Bands, Art Deco Design, 5 Vacuum Tubes, Walnut Veneer Cabinet, Circa 1937 (15351304051).jpg, Philco table radio () File:Lurelle Guild. Vacuum Cleaner, ca. 1937..jpg, Electrolux vacuum cleaner (1937) File:Cord 812 1937.jpg, Cord automobile model 812, designed by
Gordon M. Buehrig Gordon Miller Buehrig (B-yur-rig) (June 18, 1904 – January 22, 1990) was an American automobile designer. Early life Gordon Miller Buehrig was born in Mason City, Illinois on June 18, 1904 to a banker. He attended Bradley University in ...
and staff (1937) File:1938_Phantom_Corsair_Pebble_Beach_Concours_dElegance_2007_02.jpg,
Phantom Corsair The Phantom Corsair is a prototype automobile built in 1938. It is a six-passenger 2-door sedan that was designed by Rust Heinz of the H. J. Heinz family and Maurice Schwartz of the Bohman & Schwartz coachbuilding company in Pasadena, Californ ...
, designed by
Rust Heinz Rust Heinz (October 18, 1914 – July 24, 1939) was an American car and boat designer. He is perhaps best known for designing the 1938 Phantom Corsair, a prototype car built on a Cord 810 chassis by the coach builder Bohman & Schwartz, incor ...
(1938) File:Test run of streamlined 20th Century Limited 1938.jpg,
New York Central The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Midw ...
's ''
20th Century Limited The ''20th Century Limited'' was an express passenger train on the New York Central Railroad (NYC) from 1902 to 1967. The train traveled between Grand Central Terminal in New York City and LaSalle Street Station in Chicago, Illinois, along th ...
'' Hudson 4-6-4 Streamlined locomotive ()
Streamline was a variety of Art Deco which emerged during the mid-1930s. It was influenced by modern aerodynamic principles developed for aviation and
ballistics Ballistics is the field of mechanics concerned with the launching, flight behaviour and impact effects of projectiles, especially ranged weapon munitions such as bullets, unguided bombs, rockets or the like; the science or art of designing and a ...
to reduce aerodynamic drag at high velocities. The bullet shapes were applied by designers to cars, trains, ships, and even objects not intended to move, such as
refrigerator A refrigerator, colloquially fridge, is a commercial and home appliance consisting of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump (mechanical, electronic or chemical) that transfers heat from its inside to its external environment so th ...
s, gas pumps, and buildings. One of the first production vehicles in this style was the
Chrysler Airflow The Chrysler Airflow is a full-size car produced by Chrysler from 1934 to 1937. The Airflow was the first full-size American production car to use streamlining as a basis for building a sleeker automobile, one less susceptible to air resistance. ...
of 1933. It was unsuccessful commercially, but the beauty and functionality of its design set a precedent; meant modernity. It continued to be used in car design well after World War II. New industrial materials began to influence the design of cars and household objects. These included aluminium,
chrome Chrome may refer to: Materials * Chrome plating, a process of surfacing with chromium * Chrome alum, a chemical used in mordanting and photographic film Computing * Google Chrome, a web browser developed by Google ** ChromeOS, a Google Chrome- ...
, and
bakelite Polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride, better known as Bakelite ( ), is a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, formed from a condensation reaction of phenol with formaldehyde. The first plastic made from synthetic components, it was developed ...
, an early form of plastic. Bakelite could be easily moulded into different forms, and soon was used in telephones, radios and other appliances. Ocean liners also adopted a style of Art Deco, known in French as the ''Style Paquebot'', or "Ocean Liner Style". The most famous example was the SS ''Normandie'', which made its first transatlantic trip in 1935. It was designed particularly to bring wealthy Americans to Paris to shop. The cabins and salons featured the latest Art Deco furnishings and decoration. The Grand Salon of the ship, which was the restaurant for first-class passengers, was bigger than the Hall of Mirrors of the
Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...
. It was illuminated by electric lights within twelve pillars of Lalique crystal; thirty-six matching pillars lined the walls. This was one of the earliest examples of illumination being directly integrated into architecture. The style of ships was soon adapted to buildings. A notable example is found on the San Francisco waterfront, where the Maritime Museum building, built as a public bath in 1937, resembles a ferryboat, with ship railings and rounded corners. The Star Ferry Terminal in Hong Kong also used a variation of the style.


Textiles

File:"Abundance" Textile MET DP293540.jpg, ''Abundance'' textile design by André Mare (1911), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City File:Paul Iribe, birds from Les Ateliers de Martine.jpg, Design of birds from ''Les Ateliers de Martine'' by Paul Iribe (1918) File:"Draperies" Textile MET DP293587.jpg, Rose pattern textiles designed by Mare (), Metropolitan Museum of Art File:Rose Mousse MET DP105936.jpg, Rose Mousse pattern for upholstery, cotton and silk (1920), Metropolitan Museum of Art Textiles were an important part of the Art Deco style, in the form of colourful wallpaper, upholstery and carpets, In the 1920s, designers were inspired by the stage sets of the
Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Revolution disrupted society. A ...
, fabric designs and costumes from
Léon Bakst Léon Bakst (russian: Леон (Лев) Николаевич Бакст, Leon (Lev) Nikolaevich Bakst) – born as Leyb-Khaim Izrailevich (later Samoylovich) Rosenberg, Лейб-Хаим Израилевич (Самойлович) Розенбе ...
and creations by the Wiener Werkstätte. The early interior designs of André Mare featured brightly coloured and highly stylized garlands of roses and flowers, which decorated the walls, floors, and furniture. Stylized Floral motifs also dominated the work of Raoul Dufy and Paul Poiret, and in the furniture designs of J.E. Ruhlmann. The floral carpet was reinvented in Deco style by Paul Poiret. The use of the style was greatly enhanced by the introduction of the ''pochoir'' stencil-based printing system, which allowed designers to achieve crispness of lines and very vivid colours. Art Deco forms appeared in the clothing of Paul Poiret, Charles Worth and Jean Patou. After World War I, exports of clothing and fabrics became one of the most important currency earners of France.Beltra, Rubio, ''Exploring Art Deco in Textile and Fashion Design'', 20 December 2016, Site of Metropolitan Museum Late Art Deco wallpaper and textiles sometimes featured stylized industrial scenes, cityscapes, locomotives and other modern themes, as well as stylized female figures, metallic finishes and geometric designs.


Fashion

File:Evening coat MET 85.151 bw.jpeg, Evening coat by Paul Poiret (), silk and metal, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City File:Black satin evening gown trimmed with crystals (Robe du soir satin noir et tulle bordée de brillants) (CBL Wep 0837).jpg, Evening dress from the ''Journal des Dames et des Modes'', illustrated by George Barbier (1913), Chester Beatty Library, Dublin File:Paquin3.jpg, Illustration by Barbier of a gown by Paquin (1914). Stylised floral designs and bright colours were a feature of early Art Deco. File:Cécile Sorel, in 1920, by Reutlinger.jpg,
Cécile Sorel Céline Émilie Seurre (7 September 1873 in Paris – 3 September 1966 in Trouville-sur-Mer), known as Cécile Sorel or the Comtesse de Ségur by marriage, was a French comic actress. She enjoyed great popularity and was known for her extravagant ...
at the Comédie-Française (1920) File:Robe du soir, 1968.40.57.jpg, Evening dress by the Maison Agnès (1920–1930), silk, pearls, strass, cabochon, and other materials, Musée Galliera, Paris File:Fashion picture by Adolf de Meyer 4.jpg, Desiree Lubovska in a dress by Jean Patou () File:Fond de robe du soir, 1968.40.87(2).jpg, Skirt by the Maison Agnès (1925–1927), silk, Musée Galliera File:Gabrielle Chanel en marinière.jpg, Coco Chanel in a sailor's blouse and trousers (1928) File:Louise Brooks in Diary of a Lost Girl.jpg, Louise Brooks with a ''à la garçonne'' hairstyle, in a publicity photo for ''Diary of Lost Girl'' (1929) File:Advertisement for pyjamas in Lisières Fleuries fabric, from Jardin des Modes, 1930.jpg, Advertisement for pyjamas in Lisières Fleuries fabric, from ''Le Jardin des Modes'' (1930)
The new woman of pre-WW1 days became the Amazons, Amazon of the Art Deco era. Fashion changed dramatically during this period, thanks in particular to designers Paul Poiret and later Coco Chanel. Poiret introduced an important innovation to fashion design, the concept of Drapery, draping, a departure from the tailoring and patternmaking of the past. He designed clothing cut along straight lines and constructed of rectangular motifs. His styles offered structural simplicity The corseted look and formal styles of the previous period were abandoned, and fashion became more practical, and streamlined. with the use of new materials, brighter colours and printed designs. The designer Coco Chanel continued the transition, popularising the style of sporty, casual chic. A particular typology of the era was the Flapper, a woman who cut her hair into a short bob, drank cocktails, smoked in public, and danced late into the night at fashionable clubs, cabarets or bohemian dives. Of course, most women didn't live like this, the Flapper being more a character present in popular imagination than a reality. Another female Art Deco style was the androgynous ''garçonne'' of the 1920s, with flattened bosom, dispelled waist and revealed legs, reducing the silhouette to a short tube, topped with a head-hugging cloche hat.


Jewelry

File:Cigarette Case MET DP291206.jpg, Cigarette case of leather and gold leaf by Pierre Legrain (1922), presenting a polychrome geometric decoration, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City File:Art Deco bracelet (1925) Museum of Decorative Arts.jpg, Bracelet of gold, coral and jade (1925), Museum of Decorative Arts, Paris File:Art Deco buckle (1925).jpg, Gold buckle set with diamonds and carved onyx, lapis lazuli, jade, and coral, by Boucheron (1925) File:Art Deco glass pendants Rene Lalique.jpg, Molded glass pendants on silk cords by René Lalique (1925–1930) File:Cartier 3526707735 f4583fda9a.jpg, ''Mackay Emerald Necklace'', emerald, diamond and platinum, by Cartier (jeweler), Cartier (1930), Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. In the 1920s and 1930s, designers including René Lalique and Cartier tried to reduce the traditional dominance of diamonds by introducing more colourful gemstones, such as small emeralds, rubies and sapphires. They also placed greater emphasis on very elaborate and elegant settings, featuring less-expensive materials such as enamel, glass, horn and ivory. Diamonds themselves were cut in less traditional forms; the 1925 Exposition saw many diamonds cut in the form of tiny rods or matchsticks. Other popular Art Deco cuts include: * emerald cut, with long step-cut facets; * asscher cut, more square-shaped than emerald with a high crown and the first diamond cut to ever be patented; * marquise cut, to give the illusion of being bigger and bolder; * baguette cut: small, rectangular step-cut shapes often used to outline bolder stones. The settings for diamonds also changed; More and more often jewellers used platinum instead of gold, since it was strong and flexible, and could set clusters of stones. Jewellers also began to use more dark materials, such as enamels and black onyx, which provided a higher contrast with diamonds. Jewellery became much more colourful and varied in style. Cartier and the firm of Boucheron combined diamonds with colourful other gemstones cut into the form of leaves, fruit or flowers, to make brooches, rings, earrings, clips and pendants. Far Eastern themes also became popular; plaques of jade and coral were combined with platinum and diamonds, and vanity cases, cigarette cases and powder boxes were decorated with Japanese and Chinese landscapes made with mother of pearl, enamel and lacquer. Rapidly changing fashions in clothing brought new styles of jewellery. Sleeveless dresses of the 1920s meant that arms needed decoration, and designers quickly created bracelets of gold, silver and platinum encrusted with lapis-lazuli, onyx, coral, and other colourful stones; Other bracelets were intended for the upper arms, and several bracelets were often worn at the same time. The short haircuts of women in the twenties called for elaborate deco earring designs. As women began to smoke in public, designers created very ornate cigarette cases and ivory cigarette holders. The invention of the wristwatch before World War I inspired jewelers to create extraordinary, decorated watches, encrusted with diamonds and plated with enamel, gold and silver. Pendant watches, hanging from a ribbon, also became fashionable. The established jewellery houses of Paris in the period, Cartier, Chaumet, Georges Fouquet, Mauboussin, and Van Cleef & Arpels all created jewellery and objects in the new fashion. The firm of Chaumet made highly geometric cigarette boxes, cigarette lighters, pillboxes and notebooks, made of hard stones decorated with jade, lapis lazuli, diamonds and sapphires. They were joined by many young new designers, each with his own idea of deco. Raymond Templier designed pieces with highly intricate geometric patterns, including silver earrings that looked like skyscrapers. Gerard Sandoz was only 18 when he started to design jewelry in 1921; he designed many celebrated pieces based on the smooth and polished look of modern machinery. The glass designer René Lalique also entered the field, creating pendants of fruit, flowers, frogs, fairies or mermaids made of sculpted glass in bright colors, hanging on cords of silk with tassels. The jeweller Paul Brandt contrasted rectangular and triangular patterns, and embedded pearls in lines on onyx plaques. Jean Despres made necklaces of contrasting colours by bringing together silver and black lacquer, or gold with lapis lazuli. Many of his designs looked like highly polished pieces of machines. Jean Dunand was also inspired by modern machinery, combined with bright reds and blacks contrasting with polished metal.


Glass art

Gros. Falster a-s - no-nb digifoto 20160412 00011 NB NS NM 07745 A.jpg, Bottles, unknown designer or producer (1920s) File:'Oiseau de Feu' made by René Lalique, Dayton Art Institute.JPG, ''The Firebird'' by René Lalique (1922), Dayton Art Institute, US File:Vase (Perruches) by René Jules Lalique, 1922, blown four mold glass - Cincinnati Art Museum - DSC04355.JPG, ''Parrot'' vase by Lalique (1922), Cincinnati Art Museum, US File:Vitraux Louis Majorelle, Grands Bureaux des Aciéries de Longwy 03.jpg, Window for a steel mill office by Louis Majorelle (1928), Grands bureaux des Aciéries de Longwy, Longlaville, France File:Arnaldo Dell'Ira (1903-1943), lampada a grattacielo, 1929.jpg, ''Skyscraper Lamp'', designed by Arnaldo dell'Ira (1929), Arnaldo dell'Ira Collection File:A light fixture in the Leeds Uni. library (353154643).jpg, Angular chandeliers by Lanchester & Lodge (), Brotherton Library, University of Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK File:Vase des années 30 (musée des arts décoratifs) (4782889920).jpg, Vase by Daum (studio), Daum (), Museum of Decorative Arts, Paris File:Cathedral of Amiens glass window.jpg, Stained glass windows by Jean Gaudin (glass artist), Jean Gaudin (1932–1934), Amiens Cathedral, Amiens, France Like the Art Nouveau period before it, Art Deco was an exceptional period for fine glass and other decorative objects, designed to fit their architectural surroundings. The most famous producer of glass objects was René Lalique, whose works, from vases to hood ornaments for automobiles, became symbols of the period. He had made ventures into glass before World War I, designing bottles for the perfumes of François Coty, but he did not begin serious production of art glass until after World War I. In 1918, at the age of 58, he bought a large glass works in Combs-la-Ville and began to manufacture both artistic and practical glass objects. He treated glass as a form of sculpture, and created statuettes, vases, bowls, lamps and ornaments. He used demi-crystal rather than lead crystal, which was softer and easier to form, though not as lustrous. He sometimes used coloured glass, but more often used opalescent glass, where part or the whole of the outer surface was stained with a wash. Lalique provided the decorative glass panels, lights and illuminated glass ceilings for the ocean liners in 1927 and the SS ''Normandie'' in 1935, and for some of the first-class sleeping cars of the French railroads. At the 1925 Exposition of Decorative Arts, he had his own pavilion, designed a dining room with a table setting and matching glass ceiling for the Sèvres Pavilion, and designed a glass fountain for the courtyard of the Cours des Métiers, a slender glass column which spouted water from the sides and was illuminated at night. Other notable Art Deco glass manufacturers included Marius-Ernest Sabino, who specialized in figurines, vases, bowls, and glass sculptures of fish, nudes, and animals. For these he often used an opalescent glass which could change from white to blue to amber, depending upon the light. His vases and bowls featured molded friezes of animals, nudes or busts of women with fruit or flowers. His work was less subtle but more colourful than that of Lalique. Other notable Deco glass designers included Edmond Etling, who also used bright opalescent colours, often with geometric patterns and sculpted nudes; Albert Simonet, and Aristide Colotte and Maurice Marinot, who was known for his deeply etched sculptural bottles and vases. The firm of Daum (studio), Daum from the city of Nancy, which had been famous for its Art Nouveau glass, produced a line of Deco vases and glass sculpture, solid, geometric and chunky in form. More delicate multi-coloured works were made by Gabriel Argy-Rousseau, who produced delicately shaded vases with sculpted butterflies and nymphs, and Francois Decorchemont, whose vases were streaked and marbled. The Great Depression ruined a large part of the decorative glass industry, which depended upon wealthy clients. Some artists turned to designing stained glass windows for churches. In 1937, the Steuben Glass Works, Steuben glass company began the practice of commissioning famous artists to produce glassware. Louis Majorelle, famous for his Art Nouveau furniture, designed a remarkable Art Deco stained glass window portraying steel workers for the offices of the Aciéries de Longwy, a steel mill in Longwy, France. Amiens Cathedral has a rare example of Art Deco stained glass windows in the Chapel of the Sacred Heart, made in 1932-34 by the Paris glass artist Jean Gaudin (glass artist), Jean Gaudin based on drawings by Jacques Le Breton.


Metal art

File:Paul Kiss, kovácsoltvas ajtó alkotása, 1925.jpg, A grill with two wings called ''The Pheasants'', made by Paul Kiss and displayed at the 1925 Exposition of Decorative and Industrial Arts File:Art Deco screen "Oasis" 1925.jpg, Iron and copper grill called ''Oasis'' by Edgar Brandt, displayed at the 1925 Paris Exposition File:Spiegel mit Frauenkopf von Franz Hagenauer, um 1930.tif, Table mirror by Franz Hagenauer of Werkstätte Hagenauer Wien () File:Norman Bel Geddes. Cocktail Set. 1937..jpg, Cocktail set of chrome-plated steel by Norman Bel Geddes (1937) Art Deco artists produced a wide variety of practical objects in the Art Deco style, made of industrial materials from traditional wrought iron to chrome-plated steel. The American artist Norman Bel Geddes designed a cocktail set resembling a skyscraper made of chrome-plated steel. Raymond Subes designed an elegant metal grille for the entrance of the Palais de la Porte Dorée, the centre-piece of the 1931 Paris Colonial Exposition. The French sculptor Jean Dunand produced magnificent doors on the theme "The Hunt", covered with gold leaf and paint on plaster (1935).


Animation

Art Deco visuals and imagery was used in multiple animated films including ''Batman: The Animated Series, Batman'', ''Night Hood'', ''All's Fair at the Fair'', ''Merry Mannequins'', ''Page Miss Glory (1936 film), Page Miss Glory'', ''Fantasia (1940 film), Fantasia'' and ''Sleeping Beauty (1959 film), Sleeping Beauty''. The architecture is featured in the fictitious underwater city of Rapture in the Bioshock video game series.


Art Deco architecture around the world

Art Deco architecture began in Europe, but by 1939 there were examples in large cities on every continent and in almost every country. This is a selection of prominent buildings on each continent. ''For a comprehensive list of existing buildings by country, see: List of Art Deco architecture.''


Africa

File:Le jardin des majorelle 16.JPG, Jardin Majorelle in Marrakesh, Morocco, by Paul Sinoir (1931) File:Fiat tagliero, 08.JPG, Fiat Tagliero Building in
Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The ...
, Eritrea, by Giuseppe Pettazzi (1938) File:La Cathédrale de Rabat.jpg, St. Peter's Cathedral, Rabat, St. Peter's Cathedral in Rabat, Morocco (1938) File:Estação Ressano Garcia.JPG, Railway Station in Ressano Garcia, Mozambique (1945)
Most Art Deco buildings in Africa were built during European colonial rule, and often designed by Italian, French and Portuguese architects.


Asia

File:Jaarbeurs.JPG, Kologdam Building in Bandung, Indonesia (1920) File:Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum 02.jpg, Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum in Tokyo, Japan (1933) File:NewIndiaAssuranceBdg.jpg, New India Assurance Building in Mumbai, India (1936) File:Diet of Japan Kokkai 2009.jpg, National Diet Building in Tokyo, Japan (1936) File:Ankara asv2021-10 img19 Railway station.jpg, Ankara railway station in Ankara, Turkey (1937) File:Cebu Capitol Compund.jpg, Cebu Provincial Capitol in Cebu City, Philippines (1938) File:EID Parry headquarters.jpg, Dare House in Chennai, India (1940) File:Bangkok General Post Office 07.23.jpg, General Post Office (Bangkok), General Post Office in Bangkok, Thailand (1940) Many Art Deco buildings in Asia were designed by European architects. But in the Philippines, local architects such as Juan Nakpil, Juan Arellano, Pablo Antonio and others were preeminent. Many Art Deco landmarks in Asia were demolished during the great economic expansion of Asia the late 20th century, but some notable enclaves of the architecture still remain, particularly in Shanghai and Mumbai. The Indian Institute of Architects, founded in Mumbai in 1929, played a prominent role in propagating the Art Deco movement. In November 1937, this institute organised the 'Ideal Home Exhibition' held in the Town Hall in Mumbai which spanned over 12 days and attracted about one hundred thousand visitors. As a result, it was declared a success by the 'Journal of the Indian Institute of Architects'. The exhibits displayed the 'ideal', or better described as the most 'modern' arrangements for various parts of the house, paying close detail to avoid architectural blunders and present the most efficient and well-thought-out models. The exhibition focused on various elements of a home ranging from furniture, elements of interior decoration as well as radios and refrigerators using new and scientifically relevant materials and methods. Guided by their desire to emulate the west, the Indian architects were fascinated by the industrial modernity that Art Deco offered. The western elites were the first to experiment with the technologically advanced facets of Art Deco, and architects began the process of transformation by the early 1930s. Mumbai's expanding port commerce in the 1930s resulted in the growth of educated middle class population. It also saw an increase of people migrating to Mumbai in search of job opportunities. This led to the pressing need for new developments through Land Reclamation Schemes and construction of new public and residential buildings. Parallelly, the changing political climate in the country and the aspirational quality of the Art Deco aesthetics led to a whole-hearted acceptance of the building style in the city's development. Most of the buildings from this period can be seen spread throughout the city neighbourhoods in areas such as Churchgate, Colaba, Fort, Mohammed Ali Road, Cumbala Hill, Dadar, Matunga, Bandra and Chembur.


Australia and New Zealand

File:The Grace Building, Sydney, 1930 - Max Dupain (4226030071).jpg, Grace Building, Sydney, Grace Building in Sydney, Australia (1930–31) File:Sound Shell and Skating Rink 01.jpg, Shell (theater), Sound Shell in Napier, New Zealand, Napier, New Zealand (1931) File:Castlemaine Art Museum.jpg, Façade of the Castlemaine Art Museum, Australia (1931), architect Percy Meldrum, frieze by Orlando Dutton File:GoulburnElmsleaChambers 001.jpg, Elmslea Chambers in Goulburn, Australia (1933) File:Anzac Memorial Hyde Park 001.jpg, Anzac Memorial in Sydney, Australia (1934) File:Holyman House, Launceston.JPG, Holyman House in Launceston, Tasmania, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia (1936) File:MelbourneCenturyBdg.jpg, Century Building (Melbourne), Century Building in Melbourne, Australia (1939) Melbourne and Sydney, Australia, have several notable Art Deco buildings, including the Manchester Unity Building and the former Russell Street Police Headquarters in Melbourne, the Castlemaine Art Museum in Castlemaine, Victoria, Castlemaine, central Victoria and the Grace Building, Sydney, Grace Building, AWA Tower and Anzac Memorial in Sydney. Several towns in New Zealand, including Napier, New Zealand, Napier and Hastings, New Zealand, Hastings were rebuilt in Art Deco style after the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake, and many of the buildings have been protected and restored. Napier has been nominated for UNESCO World Heritage Site status, the first cultural site in New Zealand to be nominated. Wellington has retained a sizeable number of Art Deco buildings.


North America

File:Barclay-Vesey Building 140 West Street.jpg, Barclay-Vesey Building, Verizon Building in New York City, USA (1923–1927) File:SouthBeachMiamiBeach.jpg, Miami Beach Architectural District, Miami Art Deco District in South Beach, Florida, USA (1925–1940s) File:KiMo Albuquerque.jpg, KiMo Theater's Pueblo Deco architecture in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA (1927) File:Bullocks Wilshire.jpg, Bullocks Wilshire in Los Angeles, California, USA (1929) File:Edifice Price.jpg, The Édifice Price, Price Building in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada (1930) File:Louisiana State Capitol Building.jpg, Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA (1930–1932) File:View of Buffalo City Hall (cropped).jpg, Buffalo City Hall in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, N.Y., USA (1931) File:Jefferson County Courthouse, Texas.jpg, Jefferson County Courthouse (Texas), Jefferson County Courthouse in Beaumont, Texas, Beaumont, Texas, USA (1931) File:Niagara Mohawk Bldg (Syracuse, NY)a.jpg,
Niagara Mohawk Building The Niagara Mohawk Building is an art deco classic building in Syracuse, New York. The building was built in 1932 and was headquarters for the Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation, what was "then the nation's largest electric utility company". Th ...
in
Syracuse, N.Y. Syracuse ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, Yonkers, and Rochester. At the 2020 census, the city' ...
, USA (1932) File:CMC-Union Terminal.jpg, Cincinnati Union Terminal in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA (1933) File:InteriorHoyBADF.JPG, Interior of the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) in Mexico City, Mexico (1934) File:Vancouver City Hall.jpg, Vancouver City Hall in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (1935) File:Edificio_El_Moro_2010.JPG, Edificio El Moro in Mexico City, Mexico (1936) File:Monumento a la Revolución Mexico.jpg, Monumento a la Revolución in Mexico City, Mexico (1938)
In Canada, surviving Art Deco structures are mainly in the major cities; Montreal, Toronto, Hamilton, Ontario, and Vancouver. They range from public buildings like Vancouver City Hall to commercial buildings (College Park (Toronto), College Park) to public works (R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant). In Mexico, the most imposing Art Deco example is interior of the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts), finished in 1934 with its elaborate décor and murals. Examples of Art Deco residential architecture can be found in the Condesa district, many designed by Francisco J. Serrano. In the United States, Art Deco buildings are found from coast to coast, in all the major cities. It was most widely used for office buildings, train stations, airport terminals, and cinemas; residential buildings are rare. During the 1920s and 1930s architects in the Southwestern United States, particularly in the US state of New Mexico, combined Pueblo Revival architecture, Pueblo Revival with Territorial Style and Art Deco to create Pueblo Deco architecture, Pueblo Deco, as seen in the KiMo Theater in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque. In the 1930s, the more austere streamline style became popular. Many buildings were demolished between 1945 and the late 1960s, but then efforts began to protect the best examples. The City of Miami Beach established the Miami Beach Architectural District to preserve the fine collection of Art Deco buildings found there.


Central America and the Caribbean

Art Deco buildings can be found throughout Central America, including in Cuba. File:Havana Art Deco (8955334332).jpg, Bacardi Building (Havana), Bacardi Building in Havana, Cuba (1930) File:Hotel Nacional de Cuba - panoramio.jpg, Hotel Nacional de Cuba in Havana, Cuba (1930) File:Edifício Lopez Serrano (35464009654) cropped2.jpg, Lopez Serrano Building in Havana, Cuba (1932) File:Havana Art Deco (8703599920).jpg, A rundown Art Deco building in Havana, Cuba File:IMG 2684 - Plaza del Mercado Isabel II in Ponce, PR.jpg, Plaza del Mercado de Ponce in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Ponce, Puerto Rico, US (1941)


Europe

File:Theatre-des-champs-elysees-.jpg,
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées () is an entertainment venue standing at 15 avenue Montaigne in Paris. It is situated near Avenue des Champs-Élysées, from which it takes its name. Its eponymous main hall may seat up to 1,905 people, while th ...
in Paris, France (1910–1913) File:Estación central de FF.CC. de Helsinki, Finlandia, 2012-08-14, DD 05.JPG, Helsinki Central Station in Helsinki, Finland (1919) File:Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Brussels (1).jpg, Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Brussels, National Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Koekelberg ( Brussels), Belgium (1919–1969) File:Berlin, Mitte, Schuetzenstrasse, Mosse-Zentrum 05.jpg, Mossehaus with Art Deco elements by
Erich Mendelsohn Erich Mendelsohn (21 March 1887 – 15 September 1953) was a German architect, known for his expressionist architecture in the 1920s, as well as for developing a dynamic Functionalism (architecture), functionalism in his projects for department ...
in Berlin, Germany (1921–1923) File:Radio Kootwijk Gebouw A.jpg, Radio Kootwijk in Kootwijk, Netherlands (1927) File:Madrid - Edificio Carrión (36011869036).jpg, Edificio Capitol, Capitol Building in Madrid's Gran Vía, Madrid, Gran Vía, Spain (1931) File:Facciata della Stazione Centrale di Milano nel 2016.jpg, Milano Centrale railway station in Milan, Italy (1931) File:Hotel_(34595862000).jpg, Éden Theatre in
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
, Portugal (1931) File:Embassy of France, Belgrade, Serbia.jpg, Embassy of France, Belgrade, Embassy of France in Belgrade, Serbia (1933) File:Express Building Manchester.jpg, Daily Express Building, Manchester, Daily Express Building in Manchester, UK (1936–1939) File:Palais de Tokyo, Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris.jpg, Palais de Tokyo, Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, France (1937) File:1604 Maastunnel - entrance building of pedestrian and cyclists' tunnel at Parkkade, Rotterdam 114.jpg, Ventilation tower of the Maastunnel in Rotterdam, Netherlands (1937) File:Porto Teatro Rivoli 4.JPG, Rivoli Theatre (Portugal), Rivoli Theater in Porto, Portugal (1937) File:Moscow MayakovskayaMetroStation 0943.jpg, Mayakovskaya (Moscow Metro), Mayakovskaya Station in Moscow, Russia (1938)
The architectural style first appeared in Paris with the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (1910–13) by Auguste Perret but then spread rapidly around Europe, until examples could be found in nearly every large city, from London to Moscow. In Germany two variations of Art Deco flourished in the 1920s and 30s: The New Objectivity (architecture), Neue Sachlichkeit style and Expressionist architecture. Notable examples include Erich Mendelsohn's Mossehaus and Schaubühne in Berlin, Fritz Höger's Chilehaus in Hamburg and his Kirche am Hohenzollernplatz in Berlin, the in Hanover and the in Berlin. One of the largest Art Deco buildings in Western Europe is the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Brussels, National Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Koekelberg, Brussels. In 1925, architect Albert van Huffel won the Grand Prize for Architecture with his scale model of the basilica at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris. Spain and Portugal have some striking examples of Art Deco buildings, particularly movie theaters. Examples in Portugal are the Capitólio Theater (1931) and the Éden Cine-Theatre (1937) in
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
, the Rivoli Theatre (Portugal), Rivoli Theater (1937) and the Coliseu do Porto, Coliseu (1941) in Porto and the Rosa Damasceno Theater (1937) in Santarém, Portugal, Santarém. An example in Spain is the Cine Rialto in Valencia (1939). During the 1930s, Art Deco had a noticeable effect on house design in the United Kingdom, as well as the design of various public buildings. Straight, white-rendered house frontages rising to flat roofs, sharply geometric door surrounds and tall windows, as well as convex-curved metal corner windows, were all characteristic of that period. The London Underground is famous for many examples of Art Deco architecture, and there are a number of buildings in the style situated along the Golden Mile (Brentford), Golden Mile in Brentford. Also in West London is the Hoover Building, which was originally built for The Hoover Company and was converted into a superstore in the early 1990s. Bucharest, once known as the "Little Paris" of the 19th century, engaged in a new design after World War I, redirected its inspiration towards New York City. The 1930s brought a new fashion which echoed in the cinema, theatre, dancing styles, art and architecture. Bucharest during the 1930s was marked by more and more art deco architecture from the bigger boulevards like Bulevardul Magheru to the private houses and smaller districts. The Bucharest Telephone Palace, Telephone Palace, an early landmark of modern Bucharest, was the first skyscraper of the city. It was the tallest building between 1933 and the 1950s, with a height of . The architects were Louis Weeks and Edmond van Saanen Algi and engineer Walter Troy. The art deco monuments are a crucial part of the character of Bucharest since they describe and mark an important period from its history, the interbellic life (World War I–World War II). Most of the buildings from those years are prone to catastrophe, as Bucharest is located in an earthquake zone.


South America

File:Elevador Lacerda dia.jpg, Lacerda Elevator in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil (1930) File:Kavanagh building.jpg, Kavanagh Building in Buenos Aires, Argentina (1934–1936) File:Viaduto do Chá - "Viaduto do Chá" viaduct (9630396439).jpg, Viaduto do Chá in São Paulo, Brazil (1938) File:Estádio do Pacaembu, Sao Paulo 2017 002.jpg, Pacaembu Stadium in São Paulo, Brazil (1940) File:Palácio Duque de Caxias - Rio de Janeiro - 20220930133747.jpg, Palácio Duque de Caxias in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (1941) File:Estação Central do Brasil.jpg, Central do Brasil Station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (1943) File:Mercado de Abasto de Buenos Aires, ca 1945 (AGNA).jpg, Abasto de Buenos Aires, Abasto Market in Buenos Aires, Argentina () File:Fachada Universidad Mayor de San Andres.jpg, Entrance of the Higher University of San Andrés in La Paz, Bolivia (1946) File:Altino Arantes Building.jpg, Altino Arantes Building in São Paulo, Brazil (1947) File:Palacio Municipal de Laprida, vista desde la plaza.JPG, Palacio Municipal and fountain in Laprida, Buenos Aires, Laprida (Buenos Aires), Argentina Art Deco in South America is especially present in countries that received a great wave of immigration in the first half of the 20th century, with notable works in their richest cities, like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and Buenos Aires in Argentina. The Kavanagh Building in Buenos Aires (1934), by Sánchez, Lagos and de la Torre, was the tallest reinforced-concrete structure when it was completed and is a notable example of late Art Deco style.


Preservation and neo-Art Deco

File:Delano National MiamiBeach.JPG, The Miami Beach Architectural District in Miami, Florida, protects historical Art Deco buildings. File:37 Calea Victoriei, Bucharest (01).jpg, Bucharest Telephone Palace, Telephone Company Building on Calea Victoriei in Bucharest (1929–1934) by Walter Froy, Louis S. Weeks and Edmond van Saanen Algi, qualified as a ''monument istoric'' (Romanian language, Romanian for ''historic monument'') File:75 Strada Romulus, Bucharest (01).jpg, Strada Romulus no. 75 in Bucharest (1930s) by unknown architect, in a state of decay File:U-Drop Inn.jpg, U-Drop Inn, a roadside gas station and diner on U.S. Highway 66 in Shamrock, Texas (1936), now a historical monument File:Messeturm, Frankfurt, Southwest detail view 20170325 1.jpg, Messeturm in Frankfurt, Germany, by Helmut Jahn (1990), a Postmodern architecture, Postmodern building that is reminiscent of Art Deco architecture File:Rue Henri Heine 3.jpg, Rue Henri Heine no. 3-5 in Paris by J.J. Ory (2001), a neo-Art Deco building File:Smithcenterlv.jpg, Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada, by David M. Schwarz (2012), a neo-Art Deco building File:Capella Hanoi - 2022-09-02 02.jpg, Capella Hanoi in Vietnam (2021), a neo-Art Deco building In many cities, efforts have been made to protect the remaining Art Deco buildings. In many U.S. cities, historic art deco cinemas have been preserved and turned into cultural centres. Even more modest art deco buildings have been preserved as part of America's architectural heritage; an art deco café and gas station along Route 66 in Shamrock, Texas is an historic monument. The Miami Beach Architectural District protects several hundred old buildings, and requires that new buildings comply with the style. In Havana, Cuba, many Art Deco buildings have badly deteriorated. Efforts are underway to bring the buildings back to their original appearance. In the 21st century, modern variants of Art Deco, called Neo Art Deco (or neo-Art Deco), have appeared in some American cities, inspired by the classic Art Deco buildings of the 1920s and 1930s. Examples include the NBC Tower in Chicago, inspired by
30 Rockefeller Plaza 30 Rockefeller Plaza (officially the Comcast Building; formerly RCA Building and GE Building) is a skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Completed in 1933, the 66 ...
in New York City; and Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada, which includes art deco features from Hoover Dam, 80 km (50 miles) away.


Gallery

File:Guardians of Traffic.jpg, ''Guardians of Traffic'' pylon on Hope Memorial Bridge in Cleveland (1932) File:Municipal Auditorium art deco chandelier.jpg, Municipal Auditorium (Kansas City, Missouri), Municipal Auditorium of Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri: Hoit Price & Barnes, and Gentry, Voskamp & Neville (1935) File:Niagara Mohawk Bldg (Syracuse, NY).jpg,
Niagara Mohawk Building The Niagara Mohawk Building is an art deco classic building in Syracuse, New York. The building was built in 1932 and was headquarters for the Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation, what was "then the nation's largest electric utility company". Th ...
,
Syracuse, N.Y. Syracuse ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, Yonkers, and Rochester. At the 2020 census, the city' ...
. Melvin L. King and Bley & Lyman, architects, completed in 1932 File:Mexican art deco.jpg, Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City, Federico Mariscal, completed in 1934 File:Paramount Ladies Lounge.jpg, Women's Smoking Room at the Paramount Theatre (Oakland, California), Paramount Theatre, Oakland.
Timothy L. Pflueger Timothy Ludwig Pflueger (September 26, 1892 – November 20, 1946) was an architect, interior designer and architectural lighting designer in the San Francisco Bay Area in the first half of the 20th century. Together with James Rupert Miller, Ja ...
, architect (1931) File:Rytm2.jpg, Henryk Kuna, ''Rytm'' ("Rhythm"), in Skaryszewski Park, Warsaw, Poland (1925) File:Snowdon Theatre (Montreal).jpg, Snowdon Theatre (Montreal), Snowdon Theatre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Daniel J. Crighton, architect. Opened 1937, closed in 1984 File:WPAMilkPoster1940.jpg, Federal Art Project poster promoting milk drinking in Cleveland (1940) File:Empire State Lobby-27527.jpg, Lobby,
Empire State Building The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of the st ...
, New York City.
William F. Lamb William Frederick Lamb (November 21, 1883 – September 8, 1952), was an American architect, chiefly known as one of the principal designers of the Empire State Building. Biography Lamb joined the New York architecture firm Carrère & Has ...
, opened in 1931 File:DontKillWildlifeWPA1940.jpg, U.S. Works Progress Administration poster, John Wagner, artist, ca. 1940 File:Cincinnati Union Terminal 29.jpg, Rotunda ceiling of Cincinnati Union Terminal, Union Terminal in Cincinnati, Ohio; Paul Philippe Cret,
Alfred T. Fellheimer Alfred T. Fellheimer (March 9, 1875 – 1959) was an American architect. He began his career with Reed & Stem, where he was lead architect for Grand Central Terminal. Beginning in 1928, his firm Fellheimer & Wagner designed Cincinnati Union ...
, Steward Wagner, Roland Wank(1933) File:US 853.jpg, U.S. postage stamp commemorating the
1939 New York World's Fair The 1939–40 New York World's Fair was a world's fair held at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York, United States. It was the second-most expensive American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchas ...
(1939) File:Nowogrodzka 45 w Warszawie orzeł.jpg, Polish coat of arms (unofficial) on the façade of the post office in Warsaw, Julian Puterman-Sadłowski, architect (1934) File:BudynekFeniksa-RzeźbaNarożna-RynekGłówny-POL, Kraków.jpg, The Statue of Hygieia in Art Deco style in Kraków, Poland (1932)


See also

* Roaring Twenties * 1920s in Western fashion * Années folles * 1933 Chicago World's Fair Century of Progress * 1936 Fair Park built for Texas Centennial Exposition * Art Deco stamps * Pueblo Deco architecture


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links


Art Deco Miami Beach

Art Deco Mumbai

Art Deco Montreal

Art Deco Society of Washington

living room interior design

Art Deco Rio de Janeiro

Art Deco Shanghai

Art Deco Museum in Moscow

Art Deco Society New York

Art Deco Society of Los Angeles

Art Deco Walk in Montreal
{{Authority control Art Deco, 20th century in the arts 20th-century architectural styles Art movements Decorative arts Modern art