Exposition Des Arts Décoratifs
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts () was a specialized exhibition held in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, from April 29 (the day after it was inaugurated in a private ceremony by the President of France) to November 8, 1925 (Originally the event was scheduled to end on October 25, but since it was visited by over 16 million people by the end of October, it was extended for two more weeks). It was designed by the French government to highlight the new ''modern style'' of architecture, interior decoration, furniture, glass, jewelry and other decorative arts in Europe and throughout the world. Many ideas of the international avant-garde in the fields of architecture and applied arts were presented for the first time at the exposition. The event took place between the esplanade of
Les Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides (; ), commonly called (; ), 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 well as a hospital and an old soldi ...
and the entrances of the
Grand Palais The (; ), commonly known as the , is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris between the Champs-Élysées and the Seine, France. Construction of the began in 1897 following the demolitio ...
and , and on both banks of the Seine. There were 15,000 exhibitors from twenty different countries, and it was visited by over sixteen million people during its six-month run. The ''modern style'' presented at the exposition later became known as "
Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
", after the exposition's name.


The idea and the organization

The idea for an exhibition entirely devoted to the decorative arts originally came from the Société des Artistes Décorateurs (The Society of Decorative Artists), a group founded in 1901 which included both established artists, including
Eugène Grasset Eugène Samuel Grasset (; 25 May 1845 – 23 October 1917) was a Swiss decorative artist who worked in Paris, France in a variety of creative design fields during the Belle Époque. He is considered a pioneer in Art Nouveau design. Biography ...
and
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 i ...
, as well as younger artists including
Francis Jourdain Francis Jourdain (2 November 1876 – 31 December 1958) was a French painter, furniture maker, interior designer, maker of ceramics, and other decorative arts, and a left-wing political activist. Early years Francis Jourdain was born on 2 Nove ...
, Maurice Dufrêne, Paul Follot and Pierre Chareau. Decorative artists had been allowed to participate in the previous two
Paris Salon The Salon (), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art event in the Western world. At the ...
s, but they were placed subordinate to the painters, and they wanted an exhibit which gave first place to decorative arts. The first Salons of the new group were held in the newly opened Museum of Decorative Arts in the
Pavillon de Marsan The Pavillon de Marsan or Marsan Pavilion was built in the 1660s as the northern end of the Tuileries Palace in Paris, and reconstructed in the 1870s after the Tuileries burned down at the end of the Paris Commune. Following the completion of th ...
of the
Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...
. The Salon d'Automne, a new Salon founded in 1903, honored painters, sculptors, graphics artists and architects, but again decorative arts were largely ignored. Frantz Jourdain announced the idea of holding a separate exhibit of decorative arts as soon as possible. He explained his reason in an essay written later, in 1928: "We consequently resolved to return Decorative Art, inconsiderately treated as a Cinderella or poor relation allowed to eat with the servants, to the important, almost preponderant place it occupied in the past, of all times and in all of the countries of the globe." The Society of Decorative Artists lobbied the French Chamber of Deputies, which in 1912 agreed to host an international exhibition of decorative arts in 1915. The plans were put aside in 1915 because of the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, then revived after the war ended in
1918 The ceasefire that effectively ended the World War I, First World War took place on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of this year. Also in this year, the Spanish flu pandemic killed 50–100 million people wor ...
. It was first scheduled for 1922, then postponed because of a shortage of construction materials to 1924 and then 1925, twenty-five years after the 1900 Universal Exposition. The program for the exhibition made it clear that it was intended to be a celebration of modernism, not of historical styles. It was declared to be "open to all manufacturers whose products are artistic in character and show clearly modern tendencies." The program also stated specifically that "Whatever the reputation of the artist, whatever the commercial strength of the manufacturer, neither will be allowed into the exhibition if they do not fit the conditions outlined in the exhibition program." A second purpose was attached to the exhibition: to honor the Allied countries in the First World War. For this reason the new Soviet Union was invited, though its government was not yet recognized by France, while Germany was not. The United States declined to participate; the U.S. Secretary of Commerce,
Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...
, explained that there was no modern art in the United States. The U.S. Commerce Department did appoint a commission to attend the exhibit and issue a report. The report, which came out in 1926, stated that the U.S had clearly misunderstood the purpose of the exposition, and that at least some participation should have been arranged to honor the French-American wartime alliance. While the U.S. did not have a pavilion, hundreds of American designers, artists, journalists and department store buyers came to Paris to see the exposition.


The site

File:Paris-FR-75-Expo 1925 Arts décoratifs-entrée Place de la Concorde.jpg, The main entrance to the exhibition on the Place de la Concorde, designed by
Pierre Patout Pierre Patout (1879-1965) was a French architect and interior designer, who was one of the major figures of the Art Deco movement, as well as a pioneer of Streamline Moderne design. His works included the design of the main entrance and the Pavi ...
, with a statue in the center by
Louis Dejean Louis Dejean (June 9, 1872 in Paris – January 6, 1953 in Paris), was a French sculptor and engraver. He worked in the workshop of Gaston Schnegg, along with Antoine Bourdelle, Charles Despiau, Robert Wlérick, Léon-Ernest Drivier, François ...
File:Tourism Pavilion 1925 Art Deco Expo.jpg, The Tourism Pavilion by
Robert Mallet-Stevens Robert Mallet-Stevens (24 March 1886 – 8 February 1945) was a French architect and designer. Early life Mallet-Stevens was born in Paris. His father and his grandfather were art collectors in Paris and Brussels. His great-uncles were the Be ...
File:Paris-FR-75-Expo 1925 Arts décoratifs-Porte d'Honneur & Pont Alexandre III.jpg, The main axis of the exposition, from the Gateway of Honor across the
Pont Alexandre III The Pont Alexandre III () is a deck arch bridge that spans the Seine in Paris. It connects the Champs-Élysées quarter with those of the Invalides and Eiffel Tower. The bridge is widely regarded as the most ornate, extravagant bridge in the ...
to
Les Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides (; ), commonly called (; ), 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 well as a hospital and an old soldi ...
File:Paris-FR-75-Expo 1925 Arts décoratifs-vue esplanade des Invalides.jpg, The view of the exposition from
Les Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides (; ), commonly called (; ), 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 well as a hospital and an old soldi ...
The site chosen for the exposition was the center of Paris, around the
Grand Palais The (; ), commonly known as the , is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris between the Champs-Élysées and the Seine, France. Construction of the began in 1897 following the demolitio ...
, the enormous glass and iron pavilion which had been built for the 1900 Universal Exposition. The principal architect was
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 ...
. The main entrance, called the Gate of Honor, was located next to the Grand Palais. The main axis stretched from the Gate of Honor across the
Pont Alexandre III The Pont Alexandre III () is a deck arch bridge that spans the Seine in Paris. It connects the Champs-Élysées quarter with those of the Invalides and Eiffel Tower. The bridge is widely regarded as the most ornate, extravagant bridge in the ...
to
Les Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides (; ), commonly called (; ), 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 well as a hospital and an old soldi ...
with pavilions on both banks, while gardens and fountains were placed between the pavilions. The Pont Alexander III, which connected the two parts of the exposition, was turned into a modernist shopping mall by the architect Maurice Dufrêne. The banks of the Seine were lined with floating restaurants built for the exposition, which became a popular attraction. There were thirteen different gateways into the exposition, which were each designed by a different architect. The main entrance was at the
Place de la Concorde The Place de la Concorde (; ) is a public square in Paris, France. Measuring in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées. It was the s ...
, designed by architect Pierre Patout, with a statue of a woman in the center called "Welcome" by Louis Dejean. The pavilions of the major French stores and decorators were located on the main axis within the entrance. Another section was devoted to pavilions from designers from the French provinces, particularly from Nancy and Lyon. Another section was devoted to foreign pavilions and manufacturers, and another to the products of French colonies which could be used in decoration, particularly rare woods and products such as ivory and mother of pearl. The tallest structure in the exposition, and one of the most modernist, was the tower of the Tourism Pavilion by
Robert Mallet-Stevens Robert Mallet-Stevens (24 March 1886 – 8 February 1945) was a French architect and designer. Early life Mallet-Stevens was born in Paris. His father and his grandfather were art collectors in Paris and Brussels. His great-uncles were the Be ...
. The tower's sleek lines and lack of ornament were an announcement of the international style that would replace Art Deco. In 1929 Mallet-Stevens led the creation of
The French Union of Modern Artists The French Union of Modern Artists (; 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 200 dissidents of the Société des Artistes-Décorateurs ...
which rebelled against the luxurious decorative styles shown at the exposition, and, along with
Le Corbusier Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , ; ), was a Swiss-French architectural designer, painter, urban planner and writer, who was one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture ...
, demanded architecture without ornament, built with inexpensive and mass-produced materials.


Pavilions of the French designers

File:Paris-FR-75-Expo 1925 Arts décoratifs-pavillon des Galeries Lafayette.jpg, Pavilion of
Galeries Lafayette Galeries Lafayette () is an upmarket French department store chain, the biggest in Europe. Its flagship store is on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris but it now operates a number of locations in France and other countries ...
department store File:Paris-FR-75-Expo 1925 Arts décoratifs-pavillon du Bon Marché.jpg, Pavilion of the
Bon Marché Bon or Bön (), also known as Yungdrung Bon (, ), is the indigenous Tibetan religion which shares many similarities and influences with Tibetan Buddhism.Samuel 2012, pp. 220–221. It initially developed in the tenth and eleventh centuries but ...
department store File:Paris-FR-75-Expo 1925 Arts décoratifs-pavillon du Printemps.jpg, Pavilion of the
Printemps Printemps is a French luxury department store chain founded in 1865, which focuses on beauty, lifestyle, fashion and accessories. The flagship store "le Printemps Haussmann" is located on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Pari ...
department store File:Hotel du Collectionneur , Exposition des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes (1925).jpg, The Hôtel du Collectionneur was a showcase for the furniture of
Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann (28 August 1879 – 15 November 1933), (sometimes called Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann), was a French furniture designer and interior decorator, who was one of the most important figures in the Art Deco movement. His furn ...
. File:Salon of the Hotel du Collectionneur (1925).jpg, The salon of the Hôtel du Collectionneur, with furniture by
Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann (28 August 1879 – 15 November 1933), (sometimes called Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann), was a French furniture designer and interior decorator, who was one of the most important figures in the Art Deco movement. His furn ...
. and painting by Jean Dupas File:Pavillon L'Esprit Nouveau.jpg, The Pavilion of the L'Esprit Nouveau by
Le Corbusier Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , ; ), was a Swiss-French architectural designer, painter, urban planner and writer, who was one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture ...
Just inside the main entrance of the exposition on the Place de la Concorde was the main promenade of the exposition, with the pavilions of the major French department stores and manufacturers of luxury furniture, porcelain, glassware and textiles. Each pavilion was designed by a different architect, and they tried to outdo each other with colorful entrances, sculptural friezes, and murals of ceramics and metal. The modernist tower of the Pavilion of Tourism designed by
Robert Mallet-Stevens Robert Mallet-Stevens (24 March 1886 – 8 February 1945) was a French architect and designer. Early life Mallet-Stevens was born in Paris. His father and his grandfather were art collectors in Paris and Brussels. His great-uncles were the Be ...
stood out above the other pavilions. Inside each pavilion presented rooms with ensembles of furniture, carpets, paintings and other decorative objects. Many of the exhibits were shown inside the Grand Palais, the enormous hall which had been built for the 1900 Universal Exposition. For the first time at an international exposition, pieces of furniture were displayed not as individual items but in rooms similar to those in a home, where all the decor was coordinated. The Hôtel du Collectionneur, for example, displayed the works of the furniture maker
Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann (28 August 1879 – 15 November 1933), (sometimes called Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann), was a French furniture designer and interior decorator, who was one of the most important figures in the Art Deco movement. His furn ...
, in rooms complete with paintings and fireplaces in the same ''modern'' style. The most unusual, most modest, and, in the end, probably the most influential French pavilion was that of the magazine ''L'Esprit Nouveau'', directed by
Amédée Ozenfant Amédée Ozenfant (15 April 1886 – 4 May 1966) was a French cubist painter and writer. Together with Charles-Edouard Jeanneret (later known as Le Corbusier) he founded the Purist movement. Education Ozenfant was born into a bourgeois ...
and
Le Corbusier Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , ; ), was a Swiss-French architectural designer, painter, urban planner and writer, who was one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture ...
. They had founded the
Purist Purism is an art movement that took place between 1918 and 1925. Purism may also refer to: * Purism (Spanish architecture) (1530–1560), a phase of Renaissance architecture in Spain * Purism (company), company manufacturing Librem personal compu ...
movement 1918, with the goal of eliminating all decoration in architecture, and replacing hand-made furniture with machine-made furniture. They founded ''L'Esprit Nouveau'' in 1920, and used it vigorously to attack traditional decorative arts. "Decorative art," Le Corbusier wrote, "as opposed to the machine phenomenon, is the final twitch of the old manual mode, and is a dying thing. Our pavilion will contain only standard things created by industry in factories and mass-produced, truly the objects of today." The Esprit Nouveau pavilion was almost hidden between two wings of the Grand Palais. It was made of concrete, steel and glass, with no ornament at all. The interiors had plain white walls with a few cubist paintings. Since trees on the site could not be cut down, Le Corbusier integrated a tree into the interior of the building, coming up through a hole in the roof. The furniture was simple, machine-made and mass-produced. The organizers of the exposition were horrified by the appearance of the building, and tried to hide it by building a fence. However, Le Corbusier appealed to the Ministry of Fine Arts, which sponsored the exhibition, and the fence was removed. Within the pavilion building Le Corbusier exhibited his '' Plan Voisin'' for Paris. The ''Plan Voisin'', named for aviation pioneer
Gabriel Voisin Gabriel Voisin (; 5 February 1880 – 25 December 1973) was a French aviation pioneer and the creator of Europe's first manned, engine-powered, heavier-than-air aircraft capable of a sustained (1 km), circular, controlled flight, which was m ...
, proposed the construction of a series of identical 200 meter tall skyscrapers and lower rectangular apartments, that would replace the historic buildings on the right bank of the Seine in Paris. He had no expectation that central Paris would be demolished and his plan carried out; it was simply a way to attract attention to his ideas. The pavilion represented a single modular apartment, representing the identical machine-made houses which Le Corbusier believed were the future of modern architecture.Christopher Green, ''Art in France, 1900-1940'', Yale University Press, 2000,


Foreign pavilions

File:Paris-FR-75-Expo 1925 Arts décoratifs-pavillon de la Belgique.jpg, The Belgian pavilion, by
Victor Horta Victor Pierre Horta (; Victor, Baron Horta after 1932; 6 January 1861 – 8 September 1947) was a Belgian architect and designer, and one of the founders of the Art Nouveau movement. He was a fervent admirer of the French architectural theoris ...
File:Paris-FR-75-Expo 1925 Arts décoratifs-pavillon de Suède.jpg, The Swedish pavilion by
Carl Bergsten Carl Gustaf Bergsten (10 May 1879 in Norrköping - 22 April 1935 in Stockholm) was a Sweden, Swedish architect. He graduated in 1901 from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology and three years later from the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts in ...
File:Paris-FR-75-Expo 1925 Arts décoratifs-pavillon de la Manufacture royale de Copenhague.jpg, The Danish pavilion for presenting porcelain and faience File:Paris-FR-75-Expo 1925 Arts décoratifs-pavillon de la Hollande.jpg, The Dutch pavilion File:L'exposition des arts décoratifs, Pavillon de l'Italie.jpg, The Italian pavilion by
Armando Brasini Armando Brasini (Rome, 21 September 1879 - Rome, 18 February 1965) was a prominent Italian architect and urban designer of the early twentieth century and exemplar of Fascist architecture. His work is notable for its eclectic and visionary style ...
File:Paris-FR-75-Expo 1925 Arts décoratifs-Pavillon anglais.jpg, The British Pavilion by Easton and Robertson File:Paris 1925 59878912.jpg, Pavilion of
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
by Joseph Czajkowski File:L'exposition des arts décoratifs, Pavillon du Japon.jpg, The pavilion of Japan by Shichigoro Yamada and Iwakichi Miyamoto File:Pavillon de l'URSS Paris (1925).jpg, Pavilion of the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
, by
Konstantin Melnikov Konstantin Stepanovich Melnikov (Russian: Константин Степанович Мельников;  – November 28, 1974) was a Russian architect and painter. His architectural work, compressed into a single decade (1923–33), placed ...
Some twenty countries participated in the exhibit. Germany was not invited because of its role in World War I, but Austria and Hungary were invited, as was the new Soviet Union, though it was not yet officially recognized by France. Many countries had exhibits of furniture and decoration within the Grand Palais, and also built pavilions to illustrate new ideas in architecture. Britain, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands all had substantial pavilions, as did the Scandinavian countries, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. Japan had an important pavilion, while China had only a modest representation. The United States, not entirely understanding the purpose of the exhibit, chose not to participate. Austria was a major participant, thanks to the work of
Josef Hoffmann Josef Hoffmann (15 December 1870 – 7 May 1956) was an Austrians, Austrian-Sudeten Germans, Moravian architect and designer. He was among the founders of Vienna Secession and co-establisher of the Wiener Werkstätte. His most famous architect ...
, who designed the Austrian pavilion next to the Seine. The complex included a terrace by the Seine, a tower, a cubic glass and iron exhibit hall by
Peter Behrens Peter Behrens (14 April 1868 – 27 February 1940) was a leading Germany, German architect, graphic and industrial designer, best known for his early pioneering AEG turbine factory, AEG Turbine Hall in Berlin in 1909. He had a long career, desi ...
, and a brightly decorated cafe. The pavilion contained works of sculpture by the modernists Anton Hanak and Eugen Steinhof. Belgium was also a major participant; the country had a large exposition of furniture and design on the main floor of the Grand Palais, and a separate pavilion, designed by
Victor Horta Victor Pierre Horta (; Victor, Baron Horta after 1932; 6 January 1861 – 8 September 1947) was a Belgian architect and designer, and one of the founders of the Art Nouveau movement. He was a fervent admirer of the French architectural theoris ...
, the pioneer of
Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...
architecture. Belgium had been left in ruins by the War, and the Belgian exhibit had a low budget; the pavilion was made of wood, plaster and other low-cost materials. Horta's pavilion had a rectangual tower, with crowned with six statues by Wolfers, representing decorative arts through the ages. The interior displayed tapestries, glass and decoration in the new style. Belgian artists taking part included the architects Paul Hamesse,
Henry van de Velde Henry Clemens van de Velde (; 3 April 1863 – 15 October 1957) was a Belgian painter, architect, interior designer, and art theorist. Together with Victor Horta and Paul Hankar, he is considered one of the founders of Art Nouveau in Belgium ...
, Flor Van Reeth and
Victor Bourgeois Victor Bourgeois (29 August 1897 – 24 July 1962) was a Belgian architect and urban planner, considered the greatest Belgian modernist architect. Bourgeois was born in Charleroi and studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels from ...
, the decorator Leon Sneyers. The pavilion of Denmark, by
Kay Fisker Kay Otto Fisker (14 February 1893 – 21 June 1965) was a Danish architect, designer and educator. He is mostly known for his many housing projects, mainly in the Copenhagen area, and is considered a leading exponent of Danish Functionalism. ...
, was a striking block of red and white bricks, making a Danish cross. Inside were murals by Mogens Lorentzen inspired by ancient maps of Denmark, with colorful and fantastic images. A separate building, symmetrical with the first, was filled with light and displayed the works of the Danish manufactory of porcelain and faience. The pavilion of Sweden was designed by
Carl Bergsten Carl Gustaf Bergsten (10 May 1879 in Norrköping - 22 April 1935 in Stockholm) was a Sweden, Swedish architect. He graduated in 1901 from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology and three years later from the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts in ...
, while the Swedish display in the Grand Palais featured a model of the new art deco city hall of Stockholm, by
Ragnar Ostberg Ragnar ( ) is a masculine Germanic name, Germanic given name, composed of the Old Norse elements ''ragin-'' "counsel" and ''hari-'' "army". Origin and variations The Proto-Germanic forms of the compounds are "ragina" (counsel) and "harjaz" or ...
. The small pavilion was a deco version of classicism, pure and simple; it was reflected in a pool, and discreetly ornamented with deco statues. The pavilion of the Netherlands, designed by J.F. Staal, was designed to capture in a modern style the mystery and luxury of the East Indies, where the country had colonies. An enormous roof like that of a pagoda covered the structure; the facade was decorated with colorful murals, and the structure was reflected in brick-lined pools. The pavilion of Italy by
Armando Brasini Armando Brasini (Rome, 21 September 1879 - Rome, 18 February 1965) was a prominent Italian architect and urban designer of the early twentieth century and exemplar of Fascist architecture. His work is notable for its eclectic and visionary style ...
was a large classical block built of concrete and covered with decoration in marble, ceramics and gilded bricks. In the center was an enormous head of a man in bronze by the sculptor Adolfo Wildt. The pavilion of Great Britain, by the architects Easton and Robertson, resembled an art deco cathedral. It was decorated on the outside with colorful flags, and in the inside with stained glass, murals and polychrome facade, with arabesques and oriental themes. The interior opened out to a restaurant on a platform next to the Seine. The pavilion of Poland was designed by Joseph Czajkowski. It had a flamboyant glass and iron tower with geometric facets, a deco versio of the picturesque churches of Poland in the 17th and 18th centuries. The pavilion was also inspired by architecture of traditional manor house of Polish nobility and by
Zakopane Style Zakopane Style (or Witkiewicz Style) is an art style, most visible in architecture, but also found in furniture and related objects, inspired by the regional art of Poland's highland regions, most notably Podhale. Drawing on the motifs and tradi ...
. Mix of all was an attempt to create the Polish national style. The octagonal hall, supported on wooden pillars, had a skylight of deco stained glass, and was filled with deco statuary and tapestries. Polish graphic arts were also successfully represented. Tadeusz Gronowski and Zofia Stryjeńska won the ''Grand Prix'' in that category. The pavilion of Japan by Shichigoro Yamada and Iwakichi Miyamoto was in the classical Japanese tradition, but with the use of both traditional materials, such as straw and varnished wood, combined with highly refined lacquered decoration. It was built in Japan, transported to France and assembled by Japanese workers. The pavilion of the Soviet Union was one of the most unusual in the exposition. It was created by a young Russian architect,
Konstantin Melnikov Konstantin Stepanovich Melnikov (Russian: Константин Степанович Мельников;  – November 28, 1974) was a Russian architect and painter. His architectural work, compressed into a single decade (1923–33), placed ...
, who in 1922 had designed the new central market in Moscow, and who also designed the sarcophagus in Lenin's mausoleum in Moscow. He had a very low budget, and built his structure entirely of wood and glass. A stairway crossed the structure diagonally on the exterior, allowing visitors to see the interior of the exhibit from above. The roof over the stairway was not continuous, but was made up of planes of wood suspended at an angle, which were supposed to let in fresh air and keep rain out, but visitors were sometimes drenched. The exhibits inside included models of projects for various Soviet monuments. The interior of the pavilion was designed by
Alexander Rodchenko Aleksander Mikhailovich Rodchenko (; – 3 December 1956) was a Russian and Soviet artist, sculptor, photographer, and graphic designer. He was one of the founders of constructivism and Russian design; he was married to the artist Varvara Stepa ...
. The key element of the furnishings was the Workers’ Club which Rodchenko designed as an optimal model space for self-education and cultural leisure activities. The intent of the building was to attract attention, and it certainly succeeded; it was one of the most talked-about buildings in the exposition.


Decorative arts

File:Paris-FR-75-Expo 1925 Arts décoratifs-la Fontaine lumineuse.jpg, The illuminated crystal fountain at the exposition, by
René Lalique René Jules Lalique (; 6 April 1860 – 1 May 1945) was a French jeweller, medallist, and glass designer known for his creations of glass art, perfume bottles, vases, jewellery, chandeliers, clocks, and automobile hood ornaments. Life Lalique ...
File:Art Deco fireplace grill.jpg, A grille with two wings called "The Pheasants", made by Paul Kiss and displayed at the exposition. File:Art Deco screen "Oasis" 1925.jpg, Iron and copper grille called "Oasis" by Edgar Brandt. Brandt also designed the ornamental gates at the main entrance of the exposition. File:Art Deco cabinet and statue.jpg, A cabinet by Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann displayed in the Maison du Collectionneur File:Jade clock.jpg, A clock made of white jade, onyx, diamonds, coral, mother of pearl and gold, by
Louis Cartier Louis Joseph Cartier ( , ; June 6, 1875 – July 23, 1942) was a French businessman, jeweler and heir to the Cartier jewelry house. From 1909, he and his brother Pierre were primarily based in New York City. In 1917, they acquired the Cart ...
and Maurice Couët (1923–27) File:Camille_fauré,_vaso_sferico_con_decoro_geometrico,_in_rame_smaltato,_limoges_1925_ca.jpg, A Limoges vase by Camille Fauré (1874-1956)
Following the program of the French organizers of the exposition, the objects on display, from furniture to glassware and metalwork, all expressed a new style, a combination of modernist forms made with traditional French craftsmanship. The furniture, glassware, metalwork, fabrics and objects displayed were made with rare and expensive materials such as ebony, ivory, mother of pearl, sharkskin, and exotic woods from around the world, but the forms they used were very distinct from
Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...
or the preceding historic styles. They used geometric forms, straight lines, zigzag patterns, stylized garlands of flowers and baskets of fruit, to create something new and different. The firm of
Lalique Lalique is a French luxury glassmaker, founded by glassmaker and jeweller René Lalique in 1888. Lalique is produced glass art, including perfume bottles, vases, and hood ornaments during the early twentieth century. Following the death of ...
, best known for its delicate Art Nouveau glasswork, produced an art deco crystal fountain, illuminated from within, which became one of the landmarks of the exposition. The Maison d'un Collectionneur, the pavilion of the furniture maker Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann, showed what an art deco house could look like, with an art Deco painting, sculpture 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 ...
, a painting by Jean Dupas, and fine craftsmanship. An alternative view of future of Decoration was also on display at the exposition, within the white cube of the pavilion of the Esprit Nouveau. Here Le Corbusier displayed prototypes of mass-produced pieces of inexpensive furniture, made with inexpensive materials, which he saw as the future of interior design.


Attractions and amusements

Large areas were devoted to amusements, from shooting galleries to merry-go-rounds, cafes and theaters. A miniature village was created for children, and there were stages which presented plays, ballets, singers and cultural programs from the participating countries. The exposition also was the venue for fashion shows, parades, and beauty contests, as well as frequent fireworks displays. The
Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889. Locally nicknamed "''La dame de fe ...
was not within the site, but it was clearly visible from the exhibition. The
Citroën Citroën ()The double-dot diacritic over the 'e' is a diaeresis () indicating the two vowels are sounded separately, and not as a diphthong. is a French automobile brand. The "Automobiles Citroën" manufacturing company was founded on 4 June 19 ...
Company decorated the tower from top to bottom with two hundred thousand light bulbs in six colors. The lights could be controlled from a keyboard, and presented nine different patterns, including geometric shapes and circles, a shower of stars, the signs of the zodiac, and, most prominently, the name CITROËN. A gigantic banquet and gala was held on 16 June 1925, within the Grand Palais. It featured the American dancer
Loie Fuller Loie Fuller (; born Marie Louise Fuller; January 15, 1862 – January 1, 1928), also known as Louie Fuller and Loïe Fuller, was an American dancer and a pioneer of modern dance and theatrical lighting techniques. Auguste Rodin said of her, "Lo ...
, with her dance students appearing to swim through gauze veils; the dancer Eva Le Galienne as
Joan of Arc Joan of Arc ( ; ;  – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...
and the dancer Ida Rubenstein as the Golden Angel, in a costume by
Léon Bakst Léon (Lev) Samoylovich Bakst (), born Leyb-Khaim Izrailevich Rosenberg (; – 27 December 1924),
; the singer
Mistinguett Jeanne Florentine Bourgeois (5 April 1873 – 5 January 1956), known professionally as Mistinguett (), was a French actress and singer. She was at one time the highest-paid female entertainer in the world. Early life The daughter of Antoine Bo ...
in the costume of a diamond, surrounded by the troupe of the
Casino de Paris The Casino de Paris, located at 16, rue de Clichy, in the 9th arrondissement, is one of the well known music halls of Paris, with a history dating back to the 18th century. Contrary to what the name might suggest, it is a performance venue, not ...
dressed as gemstones; and short performances by the full companies of the
Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...
and the
Paris Opera The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...
, the
Folies Bergère 150px, Stanisław Julian Ignacy Ostroróg">Walery, 1927 The Folies Bergère () is a cabaret music hall in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the arc ...
and the
Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Olympia (Par ...
. The finale was the "Ballet of Ballets" danced by three hundred dancers from all of the Paris ballet companies in white tutus.


The legacy of the exhibition

The exposition accomplished its goal, to show that Paris still reigned supreme in the arts of design. The term "Art Deco" was not yet used, but in the years immediately following the exposition, the art and design shown there was copied around the world, in the skyscrapers of New York, the ocean liners that crossed the Atlantic, and movie theatres around the world. It had a major influence in the design of fashion, jewellery, furniture, glass, metalwork, textiles and other decorative arts. At the same time, it displayed the growing difference between the traditional modern style, with its expensive materials, fine craftsmanship and lavish decoration, and the modernist movement that wanted to simplify art and architecture. The ''Esprit Nouveau'' pavilion and the Soviet pavilion were distinctly not decorative,Dr Harry Francis Mallgrave, ''Modern Architectural Theory: A Historical Survey, 1673-1968'', Cambridge University Press, 2005, page 258, they contained furnishings and paintings; but these works, including the pavilions, were spare and modern. The modern architecture of Le Corbusier and
Konstantin Melnikov Konstantin Stepanovich Melnikov (Russian: Константин Степанович Мельников;  – November 28, 1974) was a Russian architect and painter. His architectural work, compressed into a single decade (1923–33), placed ...
attracted both criticism and admiration for its lack of ornamentation. Criticism focused on the 'nakedness' of these structures,Catherine Cooke, ''Russian Avant-Garde: Theories of Art, Architecture, and the City'', Academy Editions, 1995, Page 143. compared to other pavilions at the exhibition, such as the Pavilion of the Collector by the ''
ébéniste An ''ébéniste'' () is a cabinet-maker, particularly one who works in ebony. The term is a loanword from French and translates to "ebonist". Etymology and ambiguities As opposed to ''ébéniste'', the term ''menuisier'' denotes a woodcarver or ...
''-decorator
Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann (28 August 1879 – 15 November 1933), (sometimes called Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann), was a French furniture designer and interior decorator, who was one of the most important figures in the Art Deco movement. His furn ...
. In 1926, shortly after the end of the Paris Decorative Arts exposition,
The French Union of Modern Artists The French Union of Modern Artists (; 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 200 dissidents of the Société des Artistes-Décorateurs ...
, a group which included
Francis Jourdain Francis Jourdain (2 November 1876 – 31 December 1958) was a French painter, furniture maker, interior designer, maker of ceramics, and other decorative arts, and a left-wing political activist. Early years Francis Jourdain was born on 2 Nove ...
, Pierre Chareau,
Le Corbusier Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , ; ), was a Swiss-French architectural designer, painter, urban planner and writer, who was one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture ...
, and
Robert Mallet-Stevens Robert Mallet-Stevens (24 March 1886 – 8 February 1945) was a French architect and designer. Early life Mallet-Stevens was born in Paris. His father and his grandfather were art collectors in Paris and Brussels. His great-uncles were the Be ...
among others, fiercely attacked the style, which they said was created only for the wealthy and its form was determined by their tastes. The ''modernists'', as they became known, 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 fulfill 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 Modern architecture, also called modernist architecture, or the modern movement, is an architectural architectural movement, movement and architectural style, style that was prominent in the 20th century, between the earlier Art Deco Architectu ...
; 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 economy of the 1930s also favored modernism; modernist buildings, without ornament, used less expensive materials and were cheaper to build, and thus were considered more suitable for the times. The outbreak of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
in
1939 This year also marks the start of the World War II, Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Events related to World War II have a "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Coming into effect in Nazi Ger ...
brought a sharp end to the Art Deco period. Architectural historian
Dennis Sharp Dennis Sharp (30 November 1933 – 6 May 2010) was a British architect, professor, curator, historian, author and editor. His obituary in ''The Guardian'' stated that he 'was well-known as an architectural historian, teacher and active defender o ...
wrote that modernist architecture had arisen from the exhibition.


See also

*
Art Deco in Paris The Art Deco movement of architecture and design appeared in Paris in about 1910–12, and continued until the beginning of World War II in 1939. It took its name from the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, Intern ...


References


Notes and citations


Bibliography

* * *


External links


Exposition Art Déco 1925
photographs *https://www.flickr.com/photos/93051314@N00/2904130823/ {{List of world's fairs in France World's fairs in Paris Modern art Art Deco Art exhibitions in France 1925 in France 1925 in art 20th century in Paris Festivals established in 1925 1925 festivals