![]() Early on, in 1908, the Russian impresario Sergei Diaghilev arrived in Paris with his dance troupe, the Ballets Russes. Among the most popular and recurring motifs are the human figure, animals, flowers, and plants abstract geometric decoration was also prevalent.Įxoticism played an important role in the conception of Art Deco. Painting and sculpture-again, conceived mainly as decoration rather than as serious works of fine art-were an important aspect of Art Deco, as well. Sometimes ornamentation was straightforwardly applied to the surface of an object, like a decorative skin other times, potentially utilitarian designs-bowls, plates, vases, even furniture-were in and of themselves purely ornamental, not intended for practical use but rather conceived for their decorative value alone, exploiting the singular beauty of form or material. The 1925 Exposition is considered a triumph of ornament in a variety of guises, and indeed this is one of the defining characteristics of Art Deco. Though Breck’s taste may be considered somewhat conservative by today’s standards, he nonetheless identified the works he acquired as representing the highest achievements of his own day, demonstrating their continuity with longstanding established traditions of design and craftsmanship. In 1923, he established the first Museum gallery for modern design, which he reinstalled frequently as new examples were added to the collection. Moore who also served as president of Tiffany & Co.), Breck was able to acquire important works by notable French Art Deco designers such as Ruhlmann, Süe et Mare, Rateau, and Lalique. With the help of a fund established in 1922 by Edward C. The enormous commercial success of Art Deco ensured that designers and manufacturers throughout Europe continued to promote this style until well into the 1930s.ĭuring the 1920s, Joseph Breck, the Metropolitan’s curator of decorative arts, took a serious interest in European modern design. ![]() The stylistic unity of exhibits indicates that Art Deco was already an internationally mature style by 1925-one that had flourished in the years following World War I and peaked at the time of the fair. Nonetheless, much of what was exhibited was firmly rooted in the traditions of the past. The primary requirement for inclusion (more than twenty countries were invited to participate) was that all works had to be thoroughly modern-no copying of historical styles of the past would be permitted. The works exhibited-everything from architecture and interior design to jewelry and perfumes-were principally intended to promote and proclaim French supremacy in the production of luxury goods. ![]() The Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris was a vast state-sponsored fair that dazzled more than 16 million visitors during its seven-month run. The exhibition, originally scheduled for 1915, was postponed on account of World War I and did not take place until 1925. In 1912, the French government voted to sponsor an international exhibition of decorative arts to promote French preeminence in the design field. The founding in 1900 of the Société des Artistes Décorateurs, a professional designers’ association, marked the first official encouragement of new standards for French design and production through their annual exhibitions of member work. Indeed, the name of this vast exhibition would later be abbreviated to Art Deco, giving a catch-all label-perhaps somewhat imprecise-to the enormous range of decorative arts and architecture created between the first and second world wars.ĭisillusioned by the commercial failure of Art Nouveau and concerned by competitive advances in design and manufacturing made by Austria and Germany in the early years of the century, French designers recognized that they could rejuvenate a moribund industry (and an important sector of the French economy) by reestablishing their traditional role as international leaders in the luxury trades (a reputation that reached its apex in the eighteenth century). To a great extent, Art Deco is epitomized by the works that were shown at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (International Exhibition of Modern and Industrial Decorative Arts), held in Paris in 1925.
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