Art Deco, a style named after the French phrase Arts décoratifs (meaning "Decorative Arts"), is a type of visual art, architecture, and product design. It first appeared in Paris in the 1910s, just before World War I, and became popular worldwide during the 1920s and early 1930s. Art Deco influenced the design of many things, from large buildings and bridges to small objects like clothing, jewelry, and everyday items such as radios and vacuum cleaners.

The name "Art Deco" came from the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris. It was inspired by the bold shapes of the Vienna Secession and Cubism. Early Art Deco was also influenced by the bright colors of Fauvism and the Ballets Russes, as well as styles from China, Japan, India, Persia, ancient Egypt, and the Maya. At first, Art Deco was called by other names like style moderne or modernistic, but it was not seen as a single, clear style.

During its most popular time, Art Deco showed luxury, excitement, and confidence in new technology. It used expensive materials like ebony and ivory, along with skilled craftsmanship. It also used new materials such as chrome plating, stainless steel, and plastic. In New York, buildings like the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building from the 1920s and 1930s are famous examples of Art Deco. The most Art Deco buildings in the world are found in Miami Beach, Florida.

Art Deco became simpler during the Great Depression. A newer version called Streamline Moderne appeared in the 1930s, with smooth, curved shapes and shiny surfaces. Although Art Deco was used worldwide, after World War II, it was replaced by modern styles that focused on function and simplicity.

Terminology

The name Art Deco comes from "Arts Décoratifs," which means decorative arts. This name was first used in connection with the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts held in Paris in 1925. In France, the term "arts décoratifs" was first mentioned in the 1858 Bulletin de la Société française de photographie. In 1868, the newspaper Le Figaro used the phrase "objets d'art décoratifs" to describe objects made for stage scenery at the Théâtre de l'Opéra. In 1875, the French government officially recognized furniture designers, textile artists, jewelers, glassworkers, and other craftsmen as artists. In 1920, a school called the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs (ENSAD) was created.

The term "Art déco" first appeared in print in 1966 in the title of an exhibition at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, Les Années 25: Art déco, Bauhaus, Stijl, Esprit nouveau. This exhibition focused on major styles from the 1920s and 1930s. The term was later used in a 1966 newspaper article by Hillary Gelson in The Times, which described the styles shown at the exhibit.

Art Deco became a widely used descriptive term in 1968 when historian Bevis Hillier published the first major book about it, Art Deco of the 20s and 30s. Hillier noted that the term was already being used by art dealers and cited The Times (November 2, 1966) and an article titled Les Arts Déco in Elle magazine (November 1967) as examples. In 1971, Hillier organized an exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, which he described in his book The World of Art Deco.

Mike Hope lists many other names used to describe Art Deco architecture, such as Odeon Style, Liberty style, Style Moderne, Jazz Moderne, Zigzag Moderne, British Moderne, Nautical Moderne, Modern Ship Style, Pacqueboat Style, Ocean Liner Style, White Modern, Futurist Art Deco, Streamline Beaux Arts, Streamline Moderne, PWA Moderne, PWA/WPA Moderne, Federal Moderne, Depression Moderne, Classical Moderne, Classical Modernism, Modernist Classical, Chicago School, Czech Architectural Cubism, Italian Futurism, Prairie School, Atmospheric Theatre, Med Deco, Amsterdam School, Nieuwe Zakelijkheid (also called New Objectivity), Mayan Revival, Japanese Secession, Spanish Pueblo Style, Pueblo Deco, Finnish National Romanticism, Neo-Gothic, Neo-Byzantine, Neo-Egyptian, Spanish Mission, International School, European International Style, Wiener Werkstätte, Free Classicism, Stripped Neo-Classicism, Deco Free Classicism, Stripped Classicism, Transitional Modern, and Vogue Regency.

Origins

New materials and technologies, especially reinforced concrete, were important for the development and look 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 adding a mesh of iron rods to concrete in a grid pattern to make it stronger. In 1893, Auguste Perret built the first concrete garage in Paris, then an apartment building, a house, and later, in 1913, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.

A critic called the theater the "Zeppelin of Avenue Montaigne," suggesting it had German influences, similar to the Vienna Secession. After this, most Art Deco buildings used reinforced concrete, which allowed architects to create more flexible designs and use fewer support columns. Perret also helped by covering concrete with ceramic tiles for protection and decoration. The architect Le Corbusier first learned about reinforced concrete while working in Perret’s studio.

Other important technologies for Art Deco included new ways to make plate glass, which was cheaper and allowed larger, stronger windows, and methods to mass-produce aluminum, used for building parts, windows, and later for lightweight furniture.

Architects from the Vienna Secession, formed in 1897, especially Josef Hoffmann, influenced Art Deco. His Stoclet Palace in Brussels (1905–1911) became a model for Art Deco, with geometric shapes, symmetry, straight lines, concrete covered in marble, and detailed decorations. Hoffmann also started the Wiener Werkstätte, a group of craftsmen and designers. This inspired the Compagnie des arts français, created in 1919, which included André Mare and Louis Süe, early French Art Deco designers.

Examples of related buildings and designs include:
– Secession Building in Vienna by Joseph Maria Olbrich (1897–98)
– Church of St. Leopold in Vienna by Otto Wagner (1903–1907)
– Austrian Postal Savings Bank in Vienna by Wagner (1904–1912)
– Stoclet Palace in Brussels by Josef Hoffmann (1905–1911)
– Detail of the Stoclet Palace’s façade, made of reinforced concrete covered with marble

The rise of Art Deco was linked to the growing respect for decorative artists, who were once seen only as craftsmen. In France, the term "arts décoratifs" was used as their status grew. In 1875, the French government officially recognized furniture designers, textile makers, and other craftsmen as artists. In 1901, the Société des artistes décorateurs (SAD) was formed, giving decorative artists the same rights as painters and sculptors. A similar movement happened in Italy. In 1902, the first international exhibition for decorative arts, the Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Decorativa Moderna, was held in Turin.

New magazines in Paris, like Arts et décoration and L'Art décoratif moderne, focused on decorative arts. Decorative art sections were added to annual art salons. French nationalism also helped, as French designers wanted to compete with cheaper German furnishings. In 1911, SAD planned a major international exhibition of decorative arts in 1912, allowing only modern works. The event was delayed until 1914 and then until 1925, when it became known as "Déco."

Examples of early Art Deco designs include:
– Table and chairs by Maurice Dufrêne and carpet by Paul Follot at the 1912 Salon des artistes décorateurs
– Lady with Panther by George Barbier for Louis Cartier (1914), with a display card showing a woman in a Paul Poiret gown
– Armchair by Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann (1914), now in the Musée d'Orsay, Paris

Parisian department stores and fashion designers helped Art Deco grow. Companies like Christofle (silverware), René Lalique (glass), and Louis Cartier and Boucheron (jewelry) began creating modern-style products. Starting in 1900, department stores hired decorative artists for their design studios. The 1912 Salon d'Automne was decorated by the department store Printemps, which also created its own workshop, Primavera, in 1912.

By 1920, Primavera employed over 300 artists, creating styles from updated versions of Louis XIV and Louis XVI furniture to modern designs. Other designers, like Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann and Paul Follot, refused mass production, making each piece individually. Early Art Deco used materials like ebony, ivory, and silk, bright colors, and stylized designs, such as flowers and baskets, for a modern look.

Examples include:
– Set for Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s ballet Sheherazade by Léon Bakst (1910)
– Art Deco armchair made for collector Jacques Doucet (1912–13)
– Display of early Art Deco furnishings by the Atelier français at the 1913 Salon d'Automne

Between 1910 and 1914, Art Deco was known for bright, often clashing colors in floral designs, seen in furniture, carpets, and fabrics. Works like chairs and tables by Maurice Dufrêne and a colorful Gobelin carpet by Paul Follot were shown at the 1912 Salon des artistes décorateurs. Adrien Karbowsky designed a floral chair with a parrot pattern for collector Jacques Doucet’s hunting lodge. Louis Süe and André Mare, under the name Atelier français, combined colorful fabrics with expensive materials like ebony and ivory. After World War I, they became famous for designing interiors on French ocean liners.

Bright colors in Art Deco came from sources like Léon Bakst’s set designs for the Ballets Russes, which shocked Paris before the war. Other influences included Fauvism (Henri Matisse), Orphism (Sonia Delaunay), and the Les Nabis movement, as well as symbolist painter Odilon Redon’s work. Fashion designer Paul Poiret also used bright shades, influencing both Art Deco fashion and interior design.

Examples of Art Deco buildings and designs include:
– Théâtre des Champs-Élysées by Auguste Perret (1910–1913), the first major Art Deco building in Paris
– La Danse, a bas-relief on the theater’s façade by Antoine Bourdelle (1912

Influences

• Ballets Russes influences – Drawing of dancer Vaslav Nijinsky by Paris fashion artist Georges Barbier (1913)
• Rococo – Chest of drawers by Jacques Dubois (1750–1755), made of different types of wood and decorated with gold bronze, Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire, UK
• Rococo influences – Commode by Paul Iribarne Garay (c. 1912), made of mahogany and tulip wood, with a slate top, green-tinted shagreen fabric, ebony knobs, and carved garlands, Museum of Decorative Arts, Paris
• Beaux Arts architecture – Boulevard Diderot no. 21, Paris, unknown architect (c. 1910)
• Beaux Arts influences – Avenue de Versailles no. 70–72, Paris, "Modern" design in a traditional style, created by Paul Delaplace and sculpted by Jean Boucher (1928)
• Louis XVI style – Corner table by Jean-François Chalgrin (1770), decorated with gold, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
• Louis XVI style influences – Dressing table and chair set by Paul Follot (1919), covered in marble, wood, lacquer, and gold, Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris
• Neoclassicism – Sculpture of Mercury or The Trade by Augustin Pajou (1780), made of marble, Louvre, Paris
• Neoclassical influences – Sculpture of Prometheus, a modern version of a classical design, by Paul Manship (1936), made of gilded bronze, Rockefeller Center, New York City
• Art Nouveau – Hôtel Guimard (Avenue Mozart no. 122), Paris, designed by Hector Guimard (1909)
• Art Nouveau influences – Curved designs on the front of Avenue Montaigne no. 26, Paris, created by Louis Duhayon and Marcel Julien (1937)

Art Deco was not one style. It mixed many different styles together. It came after Art Nouveau, which was popular in Europe between 1895 and 1900. It also existed at the same time as Beaux-Arts and neoclassical styles, which were common in European and American buildings. In 1905, Eugène Grasset wrote a book called Méthode de Composition Ornementale, Éléments Rectilignes, where he studied how to use simple geometric shapes like triangles and squares in designs. This was different from the flowing, curvy style of Art Nouveau, which was popular in Paris earlier. Grasset said that basic shapes like triangles and squares are the foundation of all designs. Buildings made with reinforced concrete by Auguste Perret and Henri Sauvage, especially the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, showed new ways to build and decorate that were copied worldwide.

• Ancient Egyptian art – Plant-shaped capitals in the courtyard of the Isis Temple, Philae, Egypt (380 BC–117 AD)
• Egyptian influences – Dress with lotus flowers, inspired by Ancient Egyptian designs, made by Jenny (couturier) and Lesage (embroiderer) (1925), made of silk, shiny thread, and crocheted embroidery, Musée Galliera, Paris
• Mesopotamian art – Ziggurat of Ur in Tell el-Muqayyar, Dhi Qar Province, Iraq (21st century BC)
• Mesopotamian influences – Western Union Building (Hudson Street no. 60) in New York City, designed by Voorhees, Gmelin and Walker (1928–1930)
• Pre-Columbian art (Maya) – Yaxchilan Lintel 24 (702 AD), made of limestone, British Museum, London
• Pre-Columbian influences (Maya) – Interior detail of 450 Sutter Street in San Francisco, California, designed by Timothy L. Pflueger (1929)
• Sub-Saharian African (Kuba Kingdom, present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo) – Ndop of King Mishe miShyaang maMbul (1760–1780), made of wood, Brooklyn Museum, New York City
• Sub-Saharian African influences – Painting Winter 1930 by Léon Benigni, oil on canvas, private collection

Art Deco used designs from many different cultures. These included ancient art from places like Egypt, Africa, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, Asia, Mesoamerica, and Oceania. These designs were found in museums like the Musée du Louvre, Musée de l'Homme, and Musée national des Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie. People were also interested in archaeology because of discoveries at places like Pompeii, Troy, and the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. Artists and designers combined ancient designs with modern, machine-age ideas.

• Primitivism – Sculpture of a Woman’s Head by Amedeo Modigliani (1910–11), made of limestone, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
• Primitivist influences – Bust for a shop window, created by an unknown Belgian artist

International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts (1925)

The International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris (1925) was a major event that helped define a new artistic style. This exhibition took place from April to October 1925 and was officially supported by the French government. It covered an area of 55 acres in Paris, stretching from the Grand Palais on the right bank to Les Invalides on the left bank, and along the Seine River. The Grand Palais, the largest hall in Paris, displayed decorative art from many countries. Over 15,000 exhibitors from 20 countries, including Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the Soviet Union, participated. Germany and the United States did not take part: Germany was excluded due to post-war tensions, and the United States misunderstood the event’s purpose. The exhibition attracted 16 million visitors during its seven-month run. All displayed items had to be modern, with no historical styles allowed. The main goal was to promote French luxury products, such as furniture, porcelain, glass, metalwork, and textiles. Major Paris department stores and designers also created their own pavilions. Another goal was to highlight products from French colonies in Africa and Asia, such as ivory and exotic wood.

One popular attraction was the Hôtel du Collectionneur, which featured furniture designed by Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, Art Deco fabrics and carpets, and a painting by Jean Dupas. The design used symmetry and geometric shapes, which made it different from the flowing lines of Art Nouveau. Bright colors, fine craftsmanship, and expensive materials also set it apart from the simple, practical designs of the Modernist style. Most pavilions were decorated with luxury items, but two stood out for their simple style: the Soviet Union pavilion and the Pavilion de L'Esprit Nouveau, designed by Le Corbusier. These buildings had plain white walls and no decorations, and were among the earliest examples of modernist architecture.

Late Art Deco

• Piața Sfântul Ștefan no. 1 in Bucharest, designed by an unknown architect around 1930
• Church of St. John the Baptist in Molenbeek (Brussels), designed by Joseph Diongre between 1930 and 1932
• Lincoln Theater in Miami Beach, Florida, designed by Thomas W. Lamb in 1936
• Palais de Chaillot in Paris, designed by Louis-Hippolyte Boileau, Jacques Carlu, and Léon Azéma for the 1937 Paris International Exposition
• Stairway of the Economic and Social Council in Paris, originally the Museum of Public Works, built for the 1937 Exposition by Auguste Perret in 1937
• High School in King City, California, built by Robert Stanton for the Works Progress Administration in 1939

By 1925, two different groups of artists worked in the Art Deco style. The traditionalists focused on using modern shapes but kept traditional methods and expensive materials. They included artists like Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, Jean Dunand, Antoine Bourdelle, and Paul Poiret. The modernists, on the other hand, wanted to use new technologies, simple designs, and inexpensive materials that could be made in large numbers. They formed a group called the French Union of Modern Artists in 1929. Members included architects like Pierre Chareau, Francis Jourdain, Robert Mallet-Stevens, Le Corbusier, and Konstantin Melnikov, as well as designers like Eileen Gray, Sonia Delaunay, and jewellers Georges Fouquet and Jean Puiforcat. They criticized traditional Art Deco for focusing on special, handmade pieces for wealthy customers. Instead, they believed that good design should be available to everyone and that the purpose of an object or building should guide its appearance.

Paul Follot, a French designer, defended traditional Art Deco by saying that people needed more than just the basics, like music, flowers, and beauty. Le Corbusier, a famous modernist architect, argued that a house was "a machine to live in" and promoted modernism as the future of design. His ideas became popular in architecture schools, and Art Deco’s focus on decoration and expensive materials led to its decline. The Great Depression, which began in the United States in 1929 and spread to Europe, made it harder for wealthy people to afford luxury items. Few companies built new skyscrapers, and even Ruhlmann’s company started making furniture in sets instead of one-by-one.

After World War II, the International Style, led by architects like Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe, became the most popular. Some Art Deco hotels were built in Miami Beach after the war, but the style mostly disappeared elsewhere, except in industrial design, like cars and jukeboxes. In the 1960s, Art Deco was studied again by historians like Bevis Hillier. In the 1970s, efforts were made to save and restore important Art Deco buildings. Today, Art Deco continues to influence fashion, jewelry, and products like toiletries.

Painting

• Workers sorting the mail, a mural in the Ariel Rios Federal Building, Washington, D.C., by Reginald Marsh (1936)
• Art in the Tropics, mural in the William Jefferson Clinton Federal Building, Washington, D.C., by Rockwell Kent (1938)
• Detail of Time, ceiling mural in lobby of 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, by Josep Maria Sert (1941)

There was no special area for painting at the 1925 Exposition. Art Deco paintings were meant to be decorative, designed to add beauty to a room or building. Few painters worked only in this style, but two artists are closely linked to Art Deco. Jean Dupas painted Art Deco murals for the Bordeaux Pavilion at the 1925 Decorative Arts Exposition in Paris. He also painted the picture above the fireplace in the Maison du Collectionneur exhibit at the 1925 Exposition, which displayed furniture by Ruhlmann and other Art Deco designers. His murals were also part of the design of the French ocean liner SS Normandie. His work focused on decoration, serving as a background or support for other design elements.

The other artist closely connected to Art Deco is Tamara de Lempicka. She was born in Poland and moved to Paris after the Russian Revolution. She studied under Maurice Denis and André Lhote and used ideas from their styles. She painted portraits in a realistic, lively, and colorful Art Deco style.

In the 1930s, a new form of Art Deco painting developed in the United States. During the Great Depression, the Federal Art Project was created to provide work for artists who were unemployed. Many artists were asked to decorate government buildings, hospitals, and schools. There was no single Art Deco style used in the murals; artists who painted government buildings came from different artistic traditions, including American regionalism and social realism. These artists included Reginald Marsh, Rockwell Kent, and the Mexican painter Diego Rivera. The murals were considered Art Deco because they were decorative and connected to the activities in the buildings or cities where they were painted. Reginald Marsh and Rockwell Kent decorated U.S. postal buildings and showed postal workers at their jobs. Diego Rivera painted scenes of automobile factory workers for the Detroit Institute of Arts. His mural Man at the Crossroads (1933) for 30 Rockefeller Plaza included an unauthorized image of Lenin. When Rivera refused to remove the portrait, the painting was destroyed. A new mural was later painted by the Spanish artist Josep Maria Sert.

Sculpture

• Gold detail on the front of the Folies Bergère cabaret music hall in Paris, by Maurice Pico (1926)
• Christ the Redeemer, a sculpture made from reinforced concrete and soapstone on Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, by Paul Landowski (1931)
• Guardians of Traffic, a pylon on the Hope Memorial Bridge in Cleveland, Ohio, by Henry Hering and Frank Walker (1932)
• Britain, a relief sculpture in the lobby of the former Daily Express Building in London, by Ronald Atkinson (1932)
• Spirit of Light or Spirit of Power, a metal sculpture on the front of the Niagara Mohawk Building in Syracuse, N.Y., by Clayton Frye (1932)
• Wisdom, a decorative element at the Rockefeller Center in New York City, by Lee Lawrie (1933)
• Polish coat of arms (unofficial) on the front of the post office in Warsaw, by Julian Puterman-Sadłowski (1934)
• Atlas, a bronze sculpture in front of the Rockefeller Center, by Lee Lawrie (1936–37)
• Mail Delivery East, one of four bas-relief sculptures on the Nix Federal Building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by Edmond Amateis (1937)
• Man Controlling Trade at the Federal Trade Commission Building in Washington, D.C., by Michael Lantz (1942)

Sculptures were often used in Art Deco architecture. In France, Antoine Bourdelle created allegorical bas-reliefs showing dance and music for the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris in 1912. The 1925 Exposition featured many sculptural works, with pavilions decorated with friezes and spaces for smaller sculptures. In the 1930s, sculptors like Alfred Janniot made relief sculptures for the Palais de Tokyo, and artists such as Charles Malfray and Henry Arnold created new statues for the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris and the Palais de Chaillot.

Public Art Deco sculptures were usually realistic, showing heroic or symbolic figures connected to the purpose of the building or room. Themes were often chosen by the people who paid for the sculptures, not the artists. Abstract sculptures for decoration were very rare.

In the United States, Paul Manship was a leading Art Deco sculptor for public art. He updated classical and mythological themes in an Art Deco style. His famous work, the statue of Prometheus at Rockefeller Center, is a modern version of a classical subject. Lee Lawrie also created important works for Rockefeller Center, including the Atlas statue.

During the Great Depression, many sculptors were hired to decorate federal buildings with funding from the WPA. Sidney Biehler Waugh made stylized images of workers for government buildings. Ralph Stackpole created sculptures for the San Francisco Stock Exchange, and Michael Lantz made works for the Federal Trade Commission Building in Washington, D.C.

In Britain, Eric Gill made sculptures for the BBC Broadcasting House, and Ronald Atkinson decorated the lobby of the former Daily Express Building in London (1932).

One of the most famous Art Deco sculptures is the Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, created by Paul Landowski between 1922 and 1931.

• Tête (front and side view), limestone, by Joseph Csaky (c. 1920), Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, Netherlands
• The Hunter by Pierre Le Faguays (1920s)
• Actaeon by Paul Manship (1925), in a temporary exhibition called the "Jazz Age" at the Cleveland Museum of Art, U.S.
• Speed, a design for a radiator ornament by Harriet Whitney Frishmuth (1925)
• The Flight of Europa, bronze with gold leaf, by Paul Manship (1925), Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City
• Tânără (Girl), bronze, ivory, and onyx, by Demétre Chiparus (c. 1925)

Many early Art Deco sculptures were small, made to decorate homes and salons. Some were called Chryselephantine statuettes, named after ancient Greek statues made of gold and ivory. These sculptures were sometimes made of bronze, ivory, onyx, alabaster, or gold leaf.

Demétre Chiparus, a Romanian sculptor, created colorful small sculptures of dancers. Other notable salon sculptors included Ferdinand Preiss, Josef Lorenzl, Alexander Kelety, Dorothea Charol, and Gustav Schmidtcassel. Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, an American sculptor who studied with Auguste Rodin, also made important works.

Pierre Le Faguays was a well-known Art Deco sculptor whose work was displayed at the 1925 Exposition. He used materials like bronze, marble, ivory, onyx, gold, and alabaster.

François Pompon was a pioneer of modern stylized animal sculptures. He gained recognition at the age of 67 with his work Ours blanc (The White Bear), now in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.

At the same time, more experimental and abstract sculptors worked in Paris and New York City. These artists included Constantin Brâncuși, Joseph Csaky, Alexander Archipenko, Henri Laurens, Jacques Lipchitz, Gustave Miklos, Jean Lambert-Rucki, Jan et Joël Martel, Chana Orloff, and Pablo Gargallo.

Graphic arts

• Program design for Afternoon of a Faun by Léon Bakst for Ballets Russes (1912)
• A Vanity Fair cover by Georges Lepape (1919)
• Interpretation of Harlem Jazz I by Winold Reiss (around 1920)
• Cover of Harper's Bazaar by Erté (1922)
• London Underground poster by Horace Taylor (1924)
• Moulin Rouge poster by Charles Gesmar (1925)
• Tokyo Metro poster by Hisui Sugiura (1927)
• Wear Jewelry – You Win by Ludwig Hohlwein (circa 1930)
• Cover of The Jester of Columbia, unattributed (1931)

The Art Deco style began in the graphic arts just before World War I. It first appeared in Paris through posters and costume designs by Léon Bakst for the Ballets Russes, as well as in fashion catalogs by Paul Poiret. The work of artists like Georges Barbier and Georges Lepape, and images in the fashion magazine La Gazette du bon ton, showed the elegance and charm of the style. In the 1920s, the style changed. Fashion designs became more casual, sporty, and bold, often showing women smoking cigarettes. American magazines like Vogue, Vanity Fair, and Harper's Bazaar adopted the style and shared it with the United States. It also influenced American book illustrators such as Rockwell Kent. In Germany, Ludwig Hohlwein was a famous poster artist who created colorful and dramatic posters for music festivals, beer, and later for the Nazi Party.

During the Art Nouveau period, posters mostly promoted theater shows or cabarets. In the 1920s, travel posters for steamship lines and airlines became very popular. The style changed to focus more on the product being advertised. Posters became simpler, more precise, and used bold lines and dynamic shapes, often placed against a single-color background. In France, well-known Art Deco designers included Charles Loupot and Paul Colin, who became famous for posters of singer Josephine Baker. Jean Carlu designed posters for Charlie Chaplin movies, soaps, and theaters. He later moved to the United States, where he created posters to support wartime production during World War II. Charles Gesmar became famous for posters of singer Mistinguett and for Air France. One of the most famous French Art Deco poster artists was Cassandre, who designed the famous poster for the ocean liner SS Normandie in 1935.

In the 1930s, a new type of poster appeared in the United States during the Great Depression. The Federal Art Project employed American artists to create posters that promoted tourism and cultural events.

Architecture

• La Samaritaine department store in Paris by Henri Sauvage (1925–1928)
• Los Angeles City Hall by John Parkinson, John C. Austin, and Albert C. Martin Sr. (1928)
• Entrance of the Eastern Columbia Building in Los Angeles, California, by Claud Beelman (1930)
• Entrance of the Villa Empain in Ixelles (Brussels) by Michel Polak (1930–1934)
• Cincinnati Union Terminal in Cincinnati, Ohio, by Alfred T. Fellheimer and Roland A. Wank (1933)
• The Grace Building, Sydney, by Morrow and Gordon (1928–1930)
• Church of St. Joan of Arc in Nice, France, by Jacques Droz (1934)
• National Diet Building in Tokyo, after a design by Watanabe Fukuzo (1936)
• Mayakovskaya Metro Station in Moscow by Alexey Dushkin (1936)
• Bank of São Paulo Building in São Paulo, Brazil by Álvaro de Arruda Botelho (1938)
• Regal Cinema, Mumbai, India

The Art Deco style began in Paris in 1903–04 with the construction of two apartment buildings. One was built by Auguste Perret on rue Benjamin Franklin, and the other by Henri Sauvage on rue Trétaigne. These architects used reinforced concrete for the first time in Paris residential buildings. The buildings had simple lines, rectangular shapes, and no decoration on the fronts. They showed a clear difference from the art nouveau 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 built the new Art Deco front of La Samaritaine department store in Paris.

The Art Deco style was not only used for buildings on land. The ocean liner SS Normandie, which started its first voyage in 1935, had Art Deco design. Its dining room had a ceiling and decoration made of glass by Lalique.

Art Deco architecture is sometimes divided into three types: Zigzag [Moderne] (also called Jazz Moderne); Classic Moderne; and Streamline Moderne.

Zigzag Moderne (also called Jazz Moderne) was the first Art Deco style to appear in the United States. "Zigzag" refers to the stepped outline of a skyscraper, which made it look taller. This style was used for large public and commercial buildings, such as hotels, movie theaters, restaurants, skyscrapers, and department stores.

Classic Moderne has a more graceful look and less decoration. It is sometimes called PWA (Public Works Administration) Moderne or Depression Moderne because it was used during the Great Depression by the PWA.

In the late 1930s, a new type of Art Deco architecture became common. It was called Streamline Moderne or simply Streamline. In France, it was also called the Style Paquebot, or Ocean Liner style. Buildings in this style had rounded corners and long horizontal lines. They were made of reinforced concrete and were almost always white. Some had features like railings and portholes similar to those on ships. Rounded corners were not new; they appeared in Berlin in 1923 in the Mossehaus by Erich Mendelsohn, and later in the Hoover Building, an industrial complex in Perivale, London. In the United States, Streamline Moderne was often used for transportation buildings, such as bus stations and airport terminals. For example, the terminal at La Guardia Airport in New York City handled the first transatlantic flights by PanAm Clipper flying boats. It was also used in roadside buildings like gas stations and diners. In the late 1930s, a series of diners modeled after streamlined railroad cars were built in New England. At least two of these remain today and are registered as historic buildings.

• The nautical-style rounded corner of Broadcasting House in London (1931)
• The Bournemouth Daily Echo building in Bournemouth, England, by Seal and Hardy (1932)
• Building in the Paquebot or ocean liner style, at 3, boulevard Victor, Paris, by Pierre Patout (1935)
• Pan-Pacific Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, by Wurdeman & Becket (1936)
• The Marine Air Terminal at La Guardia Airport (1937) was New York City's terminal for flights of Pan Am Clipper flying boats to Europe.
• The Hoover Building canteen in Perivale in London's suburbs, by Wallis, Gilbert and Partners (1938)
• Former Belgian National Institute of Radio Broadcasting in Ixelles (Brussels) by Joseph Diongre (1938)
• The Ford Pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair
• Streamline Moderne church, First Church of Deliverance in Chicago, Illinois, by Walter T. Bailey (1939). Towers added in 1948.

• The American Radiator Building in New York City by Raymond Hood (1924)
• Carbide & Carbon Building in Chicago, Illinois, by Burnham Brothers (1929)
• Chrysler Building in New York City by William Van Alen (1930)
• The Times Square Building in Rochester, NY by Ralph Thomas Walker (1930)
• The Lefcourt Building (1930) by Frank Grad and the National Newark Building by John H. & Wilson C. Ely (1933) in Newark, NJ
• Empire State Building in New York City by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon (1931)
• Gulf Tower in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, by Trowbridge & Livingston and Edward Mellon (1932)
• Crown of the General Electric Building (also known as 570 Lexington Avenue) in New York City by Cross & Cross (1933)
• 30 Rockefeller Plaza, now the Comcast Building, in New York City by Raymond Hood (1933)
• Altino Arantes Building in São Paulo by Plinio Botelho do Amaral (1947)

American skyscrapers showed the peak 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 height, shape, color, and dramatic lighting at night. The American Radiator Building by Raymond Hood (1924) combined Gothic and Deco modern elements. Black brick on the front of the building (symbolizing coal) was chosen to show solidity, and other parts of the front were covered in gold bricks (symbolizing fire). The entry was decorated with marble and black mirrors. Another early Art Deco skyscraper was

Decoration and motifs

• Decorative ironwork and stepped designs – Tomb of Sheikh Zafiri (Şeyh Zafir Türbesi) in Istanbul, by Raimondo D'Aronco (1903)
• Birds – Quai d'Orsay no. 55 in Paris, designed by Louis-Hippolyte Boileau and carved by Léon Binet (1913)
• Symbolic images – Pediment of the Mihai Zisman House (Calea Călărașilor no. 44) in Bucharest, by Soru (1920)
• Stylized flowers (especially spiral flowers and converging bundles) – Architectural element for the Parfumerie d'Orsay in Paris, by Georges Béal (1922)
• The urn – Corner cabinet made of mahogany with rose basket design of inlaid ivory, by Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann (1923), Brooklyn Museum, New York City
• The flower basket – Balconies and pediment of Avenue Montaigne no. 41 in Paris, unknown architect or sculptor (1924)
• Repeating patterns – Decorative ironwork of the Madison Belmont Building (Madison Avenue no. 181–183) in New York City, by Ferrobrandt (1925)
• The papyrus flower – Entrance arch at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris, by Edgar Brandt (1925)
• The foliage scroll – Elevator doors, by Brandt (1926), wrought iron, glass, patinated and gilded bronze, Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon
• Simplified versions of Doric columns (with basic rectangular capitals or bases, or just as a shaft) – Grave of Gustave Simon in Préville Cemetery, Nancy, France, unknown architect (after 1926)
• Decoration using shapes and forms, not just ornaments – Withuis (Avenue Charles Woeste no. 183) in Brussels, Belgium, by Joseph Diongre (1927)
• Play with light and shadow – Stage design for Meșterul Manole (The Master Builder Manole), by Victor Feodorov (1927–28), collection of the National Theatre, Bucharest
• Octagon-shaped medallion – Sign of the La Samaritaine department store in Paris, by Henri Sauvage (1928)
• Mosaics – Maison bleue (Rue d'Alsace no. 28) in Angers, France, designed by Roger Jusserand, and decorated with mosaics by the Odorico fréres (1928)
• Vertical moldings – Greybrook House (Brook Street no. 28) in London, by Sir John Burnet & Partners (1928–29)
• Horizontal moldings – Atlantic Huis (Westplein no. 51) in Rotterdam, by P.G. Buskens (1928–1930)
• The stepped motif – Entrance hall of the Chrysler Building in New York City, by William Van Allen (1928–1930)
• The artesian fountain – Lamp, by Paul Kiss (c. 1930), glass and metal, in a temporary exhibition called the "Jazz Age" at the Cleveland Museum of Art, US
• The cornucopia – Avenue des Champs-Élysées no. 77 in Paris, unknown architect (c. 1930)
• Complex zigzags – Foot of a console table, by Paul Fehér (c. 1930), metal, in a temporary exhibition called the "Jazz Age" at the Cleveland Museum of Art
• Streamlining – Rue Gramme no. 17–21 in Paris, by Marcel Chappey (1930)
• The sunburst – Detail above the entrance of the Eastern Columbia Building (S. Broadway no. 849) in L.A., by Claud Beelman (1930)
• Use 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)
• Ziggurat – Union Hotel (Strada Ion Câmpineanu no. 11) in Bucharest, by Arghir Culina (1931)
• Vertical and horizontal glowing surfaces – Entrance hall of the Villa Cavrois in Croix, France, by Rob Mallet-Stevens (1932)
• The undulating line – Relief on the Grave of the Străjescu Family in Bellu Cemetery, Bucharest, by George Cristinel (1934)
• Decorative lettering – Edificio del Parque in Mexico City, by Ernesto Buenrostro (1935)

Art Deco design changed over time. Between 1910 and 1920, as Art Nouveau ended, artists returned to traditional styles, especially in the work of Paul Iribe. In 1912, André Vera wrote an article in L'Art Décoratif asking for a return to craftsmanship and materials from earlier centuries, using new shapes inspired by nature, like baskets and flower garlands. Another Art Deco style from 1910 to 1920 was influenced by the bright colors of the Fauve art movement and the colorful costumes and sets of the Ballets Russes. This style used materials like sharkskin, mother-of-pearl, ivory, colored leather, painted wood, and geometric inlays on furniture. This style reached its peak at the 1925 Paris Exposition of Decorative Arts. In the late 1920s and 1930s, Art Deco changed again, using new materials and technologies. Designs became smoother and less detailed. Furniture and buildings had rounded edges and a polished, modern look inspired by the streamline style. New materials like nickel, chrome-plated steel, aluminum, and bakelite (an early plastic) appeared in furniture and decoration.

During the Art Deco period, especially in the 1930s, design motifs showed the purpose of buildings. Theaters had sculptures showing music, dance, and excitement; power companies used sunrise images; the Chrysler Building had stylized hood ornaments; the friezes at the 1931 Paris Colonial Exposition showed faces of people from French colonies. The streamline style made buildings look like they were moving. WPA murals in the 1930s showed everyday people, like factory workers, postal workers, families, and farmers, instead of classical heroes.

• Curvy – Avenue Montaigne no. 26, Paris, by Louis Duh

Furniture

• Chair by Paul Follot (1912–1914)
• Armchair by Louis Süe (1912) and painted screen by André Mare (1920)
• Dressing table and chair made of marble and decorated with lacquered and gilded wood by Follot (1919–20)
• Green metal stool made in Bucharest, Romania (1920)
• Corner cabinet made of mahogany with an inlaid ivory rose basket design by Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann (1923)
• Stool made of metal and wood in Lyon, France (1925)
• Cabinet covered with shagreen or sharkskin by André Groult (1925)
• Cabinet by Ruhlmann (1926)
• Cabinet design by Ruhlmann
• Furniture by Gio Ponti (1927)
• Desk of an administrator, by Michel Roux-Spitz for the 1930 Salon of Decorative Artists
• Art Deco club chair (1930s)
• Late Art Deco furniture and rug by Jules Leleu (1930s)
• A Waterfall style buffet table

French furniture from 1910 until the early 1920s was an updated version of traditional French styles and Art Nouveau designs by Louis Majorelle, Charles Plumet, and other makers. French furniture makers felt worried about the growing popularity of German styles, especially the simple Biedermeier style. Frantz Jourdain, president of the Paris Salon d'Automne, invited German designers to join the 1910 Salon. French designers saw the new German style and decided to create new French styles for the 1912 Salon. The Salon rules said only modern styles would be allowed. Major French furniture designers, including Paul Follot, Paul Iribe, Maurice Dufrêne, André Groult, André Mare, and Louis Süe, presented new works that updated traditional French styles with more angular shapes inspired by Cubism and brighter colors inspired by Fauvism and the Nabis.

André Mare and Louis Süe both participated in the 1912 Salon. After World War I, they formed a company called Compagnie des Arts Française, often called Suë and Mare. Unlike Art Nouveau designers like Louis Majorelle, who made every piece themselves, they worked with teams of craftsmen to create full interior designs, including furniture, glassware, carpets, ceramics, wallpaper, and lighting. Their work used bright colors and fine woods like ebony decorated with mother of pearl, abalone, and silvered metal to create flower designs. They designed interiors for ocean liners and perfume bottles for Jean Patou. The company was successful in the early 1920s but failed because the men were better craftsmen than businesspeople. The company was sold in 1928, and both men left.

Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann was the most famous furniture designer at the 1925 Decorative Arts Exposition. He first showed his work at the 1913 Autumn Salon and later had a pavilion called the "House of the Rich Collector" at the 1925 Exposition. He used rare and expensive materials like ebony, mahogany, rosewood, and ambon, decorated with ivory, tortoiseshell, and mother of pearl. Silk pompoms decorated drawer handles. His furniture was based on 18th-century models but simplified and reshaped. The furniture’s structure was hidden under layers of wood, making it look like it was carved from a single block. Ivory inlays and handles contrasted with dark wood. Ruhlmann said armchairs should be designed for different rooms: welcoming in living rooms, comfortable in offices, and luxurious in salons. Only a few pieces of each design were made, and one of his beds or cabinets cost more than an average house.

Jules Leleu was a traditional furniture designer who moved into Art Deco in the 1920s. He designed furniture for the Élysée Palace dining room and the first-class cabins of the steamship Normandie. His style used ebony, Macassar wood, and walnut, decorated with ivory and mother of pearl plaques. He introduced lacquered Art Deco furniture in the late 1920s and later made furniture with metal and smoked glass panels. In Italy, Gio Ponti became famous for his streamlined designs.

The expensive furniture of Ruhlmann and other traditionalists upset modernists like architect Le Corbusier, who wrote articles criticizing the arts décoratif style. He argued that furniture should be made with inexpensive materials and modern designs so ordinary people could afford it. He designed chairs meant to be cheap and mass-produced.

In the 1930s, furniture designs became smoother and curvier. Donald Deskey was a top designer who created the interior of the Radio City Music Hall. He used traditional and modern materials like aluminum, chrome, and bakelite, an early type of plastic. Other important Art Deco furniture designers in the 1930s in the United States included Gilbert Rohde, Warren McArthur, and Kem Weber.

The Waterfall style was popular in the 1930s and 1940s. It was the most common Art Deco furniture style at the time. Pieces were made of plywood covered with blond veneer and had rounded edges that looked like waterfalls.

Design

• Parker Duofold desk set (around 1930)
• Beau Brownie camera, designed by Walter Dorwin Teague for Eastman Kodak (1930)
• Philips radio set (1931)
• Chrysler Airflow sedan, designed by Carl Breer (1934)
• Bugatti Aérolithe (1936)
• Philco table radio (around 1937)
• Electrolux vacuum cleaner (1937)
• Cord automobile model 812, designed by Gordon M. Buehrig and staff (1937)
• Phantom Corsair, designed by Rust Heinz (1938)
• New York Central's 20th Century Limited Hudson 4-6-4 Streamlined locomotive (around 1939)

Streamline was a type of Art Deco that became popular in the mid-1930s. It was inspired by ideas from aviation and science that helped reduce air resistance at high speeds. Designers used smooth, rounded shapes like those of bullets on cars, trains, ships, and even objects that did not move, such as refrigerators, gas pumps, and buildings. One of the first cars made in this style was the Chrysler Airflow from 1933. Although it did not sell well, its design showed that modern styles could be both beautiful and practical. This style continued to be used in car designs after World War II.

New materials began to influence the design of cars and household items. These included aluminum, chrome, and Bakelite, an early type of plastic. Bakelite could be shaped into many forms and was soon used in telephones, radios, and other devices.

Ocean liners also used a style of Art Deco called "Style Paquebot" or "Ocean Liner Style." The most famous example was the SS Normandie, which made its first trip across the Atlantic in 1935. It was built to attract wealthy Americans to Paris for shopping. The cabins and rooms on the ship had the latest Art Deco decorations. The Grand Salon, where first-class passengers dined, was as large as the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles. It had electric lights inside twelve pillars made of Lalique crystal, and thirty-six similar pillars lined the walls. This was one of the first times electric lighting was built directly into the structure of a building. The style used on ships was later used in buildings. One example is the Maritime Museum in San Francisco, which was built as a public bath in 1937. It looks like a ferryboat, with railings and rounded corners. A similar style was also used in the Star Ferry Terminal in Hong Kong.

Textiles

• Abundance textile design by André Mare (1911), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
• Design of birds from Les Ateliers de Martine by Paul Iribe (1918)
• Rose pattern textiles designed by Mare (c. 1919), Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Rose Mousse pattern for upholstery, cotton, and silk (1920), Metropolitan Museum of Art

Textiles were a key part of the Art Deco style, appearing in colorful wallpaper, upholstery, and carpets. In the 1920s, designers were influenced by stage sets from the Ballets Russes, fabric designs and costumes by Léon Bakst, and work from the Wiener Werkstätte. Early interior designs by André Mare included bright, stylized garlands of roses and flowers that decorated walls, floors, and furniture. Stylized floral patterns also appeared in the work of Raoul Dufy, Paul Poiret, and J.E. Ruhlmann. Paul Poiret redesigned floral carpets in the Art Deco style.

A new printing method called pochoir helped designers create sharp lines and vivid colors. Art Deco styles appeared in clothing made by Paul Poiret, Charles Worth, and Jean Patou. After World War I, exports of clothing and fabrics became one of France’s most important sources of income.

Late Art Deco wallpaper and textiles sometimes showed stylized industrial scenes, cityscapes, trains, and modern themes. They also included stylized female figures, metallic finishes, and geometric designs.

Fashion

• Evening coat by Paul Poiret (c. 1912), made of silk and metal, displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City
• Evening dress from the Journal des Dames et des Modes, illustrated by George Barbier (1913), held at the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin
• Illustration by Barbier of a gown by Paquin (1914). Stylized floral designs and bright colors were common in early Art Deco fashion.
• Cécile Sorel performing at the Comédie-Française (1920)
• Evening dress by the Maison Agnès (1920–1930), made of silk, pearls, strass, cabochon, and other materials, displayed at the Musée Galliera in Paris
• Desiree Lubovska wearing a dress by Jean Patou (c. 1921)
• Skirt by the Maison Agnès (1925–1927), made of silk, displayed at the Musée Galliera
• Coco Chanel wearing a sailor’s blouse and trousers (1928)
• Louise Brooks with an à la garçonne hairstyle in a publicity photo for Diary of Lost Girl (1929)
• Advertisement for pyjamas in Lisières Fleuries fabric from Le Jardin des Modes (1930)

Fashion changed a lot during this time, especially because of designers like Paul Poiret and later Coco Chanel. Poiret introduced the idea of draping, which was different from the sewing and designing methods used before. He created clothing with straight lines and rectangular shapes. His designs had simple, clean shapes. The tight, corseted look and formal styles from earlier were no longer used. Fashion became more practical and smooth. New materials, brighter colors, and printed designs were used. Coco Chanel continued this change, making sporty, casual styles popular.

A common style of the time was the Flapper, a woman who wore short hair, drank cocktails, smoked in public, and danced late at night in clubs, cabarets, or bohemian places. Most women did not live like this; the Flapper was more of a symbol in popular culture than a real person. Another style was the androgynous garçonne of the 1920s, who had a flat chest, no visible waist, and showed her legs. Her body looked like a short tube, topped with a hat that hugged her head.

Jewelry

• A brooch called Semaphore, made by Gerard Sandoz in 1925, uses platinum, coral, onyx, and diamonds.
• A cigarette case made of leather and gold leaf by Pierre Legrain in 1922, decorated with colorful geometric patterns, is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
• A bracelet made of gold, coral, and jade from 1925 is in the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris.
• A gold buckle with diamonds, carved onyx, lapis lazuli, jade, and coral, created by Boucheron in 1925.
• Glass pendants shaped like fruit, flowers, frogs, fairies, or mermaids, made by René Lalique between 1925 and 1930.
• The Mackay Emerald Necklace, made of emerald, diamond, and platinum by Cartier in 1930, is in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

During the 1920s and 1930s, designers like René Lalique and Cartier used more colorful gemstones, such as small emeralds, rubies, and sapphires, instead of only diamonds. They also used more detailed and elegant settings, including materials like enamel, glass, horn, and ivory. Diamonds were cut in new ways, such as tiny rods or matchsticks, as seen at the 1925 Exposition. Other popular Art Deco diamond 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 ever patented;
• Marquise cut, to make diamonds look bigger and bolder;
• Baguette cut, small, rectangular shapes often used to outline larger stones;
• Old European cut, round and cut by hand to create flashes of color inside the stone.

Jewelers began using platinum more often than gold because it was strong and flexible, allowing them to set clusters of stones. They also used darker materials like enamel and black onyx to create a stronger contrast with diamonds.

Jewelry became more colorful and varied in style. Cartier and Boucheron combined diamonds with colorful gemstones shaped like leaves, fruit, or flowers to make brooches, rings, earrings, clips, and pendants. Designs inspired by Far Eastern themes included jade and coral combined with platinum and diamonds, and items like vanity cases, cigarette cases, and powder boxes decorated with Japanese and Chinese landscapes made of mother of pearl, enamel, and lacquer.

Changes in clothing styles led to new jewelry designs. Sleeveless dresses in the 1920s meant arms needed decoration, so jewelers made bracelets with gold, silver, and platinum, covered in stones like lapis lazuli, onyx, and coral. Other bracelets were worn on the upper arms, and women often wore several at once. Short hairstyles of the 1920s inspired elaborate earring designs. As women began smoking in public, designers created ornate cigarette cases and ivory cigarette holders. The invention of the wristwatch before World War I led to decorated watches covered in diamonds, enamel, gold, and silver. Pendant watches, hanging from ribbons, also became popular.

Well-known jewelry houses in Paris, including Cartier, Chaumet, Georges Fouquet, Mauboussin, and Van Cleef & Arpels, created jewelry and objects in the Art Deco style. Chaumet made cigarette boxes, lighters, pillboxes, and notebooks with hard stones like jade, lapis lazuli, diamonds, and sapphires. Many young designers, each with their own ideas, contributed to the Art Deco movement. Raymond Templier created jewelry with intricate geometric patterns, including silver earrings shaped like skyscrapers. Gerard Sandoz, who began designing jewelry at age 18 in 1921, made pieces inspired by the smooth look of modern machinery. René Lalique made colorful glass pendants shaped like fruit, flowers, frogs, fairies, or mermaids, hanging on silk cords with tassels. Paul Brandt used rectangular and triangular patterns and placed pearls in lines on onyx plaques. Jean Despres made necklaces with contrasting colors, like silver and black lacquer or gold and lapis lazuli. His designs looked like polished machines. Jean Dunand used bright reds and blacks with polished metal. Suzanne Belperron made sculptural designs using materials like rock crystal and semi-precious stones. Jean Fouquet, influenced by Cubism, used ebony and chrome-plated steel for a modernist look. Other notable names include Boucheron, Lacloche, and Danish silversmith Georg Jensen, who worked with silver and less expensive gemstones. American jewelry houses like Tiffany & Co., Black, Starr & Frost, and Marcus & Co. also created Art Deco pieces, including clocks, objets d'art, and jewelry.

Glass art

• Bottles, unknown designer or maker (1920s)
• The Firebird by René Lalique (1922), Dayton Art Institute, US
• Parrot vase by Lalique (1922), Cincinnati Art Museum, US
• Window for a steel mill office by Louis Majorelle (1928), Grands bureaux des Aciéries de Longwy, Longlaville, France
• Skyscraper Lamp, designed by Arnaldo dell'Ira (1929), Arnaldo dell'Ira Collection
• Angular chandeliers by Lanchester & Lodge (around 1929–1936), Brotherton Library, University of Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK
• Vase by Daum (around 1930–1935), Museum of Decorative Arts, Paris
• Stained glass windows by Jean Gaudin (1932–1934), Amiens Cathedral, Amiens, France

Like the Art Nouveau period before it, Art Deco was a special time for fine glass and decorative objects made to match their surroundings. The most famous glassmaker of this time was René Lalique. His works, including vases and car parts, became famous symbols of the Art Deco era. Before World War I, Lalique designed bottles for perfume company François Coty but did not start making art glass until after the war. In 1918, at age 58, he bought a glass factory in Combs-la-Ville and began making both artistic and useful glass items. He saw glass as a type of sculpture, creating statues, vases, bowls, lamps, and decorations. He used demi-crystal, which was softer and easier to shape than lead crystal, though less shiny. He sometimes used colored glass, but more often used opalescent glass, which had a stained outer layer. Lalique made decorative glass panels, lights, and ceilings for ocean liners like the SS Île de France (1927) and the SS Normandie (1935), as well as for luxury train cars in France. At the 1925 Exposition of Decorative Arts, he had his own pavilion, designed a dining room with a matching glass ceiling for the Sèvres Pavilion, and created a glass fountain for the Cours des Métiers courtyard.

Other important Art Deco glassmakers included Marius-Ernest Sabino, who made figurines, vases, bowls, and sculptures of fish, people, and animals. He often used opalescent glass that changed color depending on the light. His vases and bowls had molded designs of animals, people, or women holding fruit or flowers. His work was more colorful but less detailed than Lalique’s.

Other notable designers included Edmond Etling, who used bright opalescent colors with geometric patterns and sculpted figures; Albert Simonet; and Aristide Colotte and Maurice Marinot, known for deeply etched bottles and vases. The Daum company from Nancy, famous for Art Nouveau glass, made Art Deco vases and sculptures with solid, geometric shapes. Gabriel Argy-Rousseau created delicate, multicolored vases with carved butterflies and nymphs. Francois Decorchemont made vases with streaked and marbled patterns.

The Great Depression hurt the decorative glass industry, which relied on wealthy buyers. Some artists began making stained glass windows for churches. In 1937, the Steuben glass company started hiring famous artists to design glassware. Louis Majorelle, known for Art Nouveau furniture, created an Art Deco stained glass window showing steel workers for the offices of the Aciéries de Longwy steel mill in France.

Amiens Cathedral has a rare example of Art Deco stained glass windows in the Chapel of the Sacred Heart. These windows, made between 1932 and 1934 by Paris glass artist Jean Gaudin, were based on drawings by Jacques Le Breton.

Metal art

• A grill with two wings named The Pheasants, created by Paul Kiss and shown at the 1925 Exposition of Decorative and Industrial Arts
• An iron and copper grill named Oasis, designed by Edgar Brandt and displayed at the 1925 Paris Exposition
• A table mirror made by Franz Hagenauer of Werkstätte Hagenauer Wien (around 1930)
• A cocktail set made of chrome-plated steel, designed by Norman Bel Geddes (1937)

Art Deco artists created many practical objects in the Art Deco style, using materials such as traditional wrought iron and chrome-plated steel. The American artist Norman Bel Geddes designed a cocktail set shaped like a skyscraper, made of chrome-plated steel. Raymond Subes created an elegant metal grill for the entrance of the Palais de la Porte Dorée, the main feature of the 1931 Paris Colonial Exposition. The French sculptor Jean Dunand made beautiful doors with the theme "The Hunt," decorated with gold leaf and paint on plaster (1935).

In fiction

Art Deco art style appeared in many animated movies, such as Batman, Night Hood, All's Fair at the Fair, Merry Mannequins, Page Miss Glory, Fantasia, and Sleeping Beauty. This design style is also seen in the imaginary underwater city of Rapture from the BioShock video game series.

The Art Deco style inspired the design of Iacon City in the animated science fiction film Transformers One.

Art Deco architecture around the world

Art Deco architecture started in Europe. By 1939, there were examples of this style in big cities across every continent and in most countries. This list shows some important buildings on each continent.

For a full list of Art Deco buildings by country, see: List of Art Deco architecture.

• Jardin Majorelle in Marrakesh, Morocco, designed by Paul Sinoir in 1931
• Fiat Tagliero Building in Asmara, Eritrea, designed by Giuseppe Pettazzi in 1938
• St. Peter's Cathedral in Rabat, Morocco, completed in 1938
• Railway Station in Ressano Garcia, Mozambique, completed in 1945

Most Art Deco buildings in Africa were built during European colonial rule. These buildings were often designed by Italian, French, or Portuguese architects.

• Kologdam Building in Bandung, Indonesia, completed in 1920
• Daimaru Kobe department building in Kobe, Japan, completed in 1927
• Asakusa Station Matsuya department building in Tokyo, Japan, completed in 1931
• Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum in Tokyo, Japan, completed in 1933
• New India Assurance Building in Mumbai, India, completed in 1936
• Ankara railway station in Ankara, Turkey, completed in 1937
• Cebu Provincial Capitol in Cebu City, Philippines, completed in 1938
• Dare House in Chennai, India, completed in 1940
• General Post Office in Bangkok, Thailand, completed in 1940

Many Art Deco buildings in Asia were designed by European architects. However, in the Philippines, local architects like Juan Nakpil, Juan Arellano, Pablo Antonio, and others were especially important. Many Art Deco landmarks in Asia were demolished during the economic growth of the late 20th century. However, some examples of this style still remain, especially in Shanghai and Mumbai.

The Indian Institute of Architects, founded in Mumbai in 1929, helped spread the Art Deco movement. In November 1937, this group organized the Ideal Home Exhibition in Mumbai’s Town Hall. The event lasted 12 days and attracted about 100,000 visitors. The Journal of the Indian Institute of Architects called the event a success. The exhibition showed modern home designs, including furniture, interior decorations, radios, and refrigerators made with new materials and methods. Indian architects admired the industrial modernity of Art Deco. Western elites were the first to use the advanced features of Art Deco, and architects began using this style by the early 1930s.

Mumbai’s growing port trade in the 1930s led to an increase in the educated middle class and more people moving to the city for jobs. This created a need for new developments, including land reclamation projects and new public and residential buildings. At the same time, political changes and the appeal of Art Deco’s style helped the city adopt this building style. Many buildings from this period can still be seen in neighborhoods like Churchgate, Colaba, Fort, Mohammed Ali Road, Cumbala Hill, Dadar, Matunga, Bandra, and Chembur.

• Grace Building in Sydney, Australia, completed in 1930–31
• Australian Medical Association House in Sydney, completed in 1938
• Anzac Memorial in Sydney, Australia, completed in 1934
• Elmslea Chambers in Goulburn, Australia, completed in 1933
• Century Building in Melbourne, Australia, completed in 1939
• Sound Shell in Napier, New Zealand, completed in 1931
• Façade of the Castlemaine Art Museum in Australia, completed in 1931, designed by Percy Meldrum, with a frieze by Orlando Dutton
• Holyman House in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia, completed in 1936

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, and the Grace Building, AWA Tower, and Anzac Memorial in Sydney.

Several towns in New Zealand, including Napier and Hastings, were rebuilt in the Art Deco style after the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake. Many of these buildings have been protected and restored. Napier has been nominated for UNESCO World Heritage Site status, making it the first cultural site in New Zealand to be nominated. Wellington has kept many Art Deco buildings.

• Verizon Building in New York City, US, completed in 1923–1927
• Miami Art Deco District in South Beach, Florida, US, completed between 1925 and the 1940s
• KiMo Theater’s Pueblo Deco architecture in Albuquerque, New Mexico, US, completed in 1927
• Bullocks Wilshire in Los Angeles, California, US, completed in 1929
• The Price Building in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, completed in 1930
• Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, US, completed in 1930–1932
• Buffalo City Hall in Buffalo, N.Y., US, completed in 1931
• Jefferson County Courthouse in Beaumont, Texas, US, completed in 1931
• Niagara Mohawk Building in Syracuse, N.Y., US, completed in 1932
• Cincinnati Union Terminal in Cincinnati, Ohio, US, completed in 1933
• Interior of the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) in Mexico City, Mexico, completed in 1934
• Vancouver City Hall in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, completed in 1935
• Edificio El Moro in Mexico City, Mexico, completed in 1936
• Monumento a la Revolución in Mexico City, Mexico, completed in 1938

In Canada, surviving Art Deco buildings are mostly found in major cities. These include public buildings like Vancouver City Hall, commercial buildings like College Park, and public works like the R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant.

In Mexico, the most impressive Art Deco example is the interior of the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts), completed in 193

Preservation and neo-Art Deco

• Viaduto do Chá in São Paulo, built in 1892, is an important historical site in the city.
• The Miami Beach Architectural District in Miami, Florida, helps protect old Art Deco buildings.
• The Telephone Company Building on Calea Victoriei in Bucharest (1929–1934), designed by Walter Froy, Louis S. Weeks, and Edmond van Saanen Algi, is recognized as a historic monument.
• Strada Romulus no. 75 in Bucharest (1930s), designed by an unknown architect, is in poor condition.
• U-Drop Inn, a roadside gas station and diner on U.S. Highway 66 in Shamrock, Texas (1936), is now a historical monument.
• Messeturm in Frankfurt, Germany, designed by Helmut Jahn (1990), is a Postmodern building that looks similar to Art Deco architecture.
• Rue Henri Heine no. 3–5 in Paris, designed by J.J. Ory (2001), is a neo-Art Deco building.
• Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada, designed by David M. Schwarz (2012), is a neo-Art Deco building.
• The Brooklyn Tower in New York City (2021) is a major neo-Art Deco skyscraper.
• Capella Hanoi in Vietnam (2021) is a neo-Art Deco building.

In many cities, people have worked to protect remaining Art Deco buildings. In many U.S. cities, old Art Deco cinemas have been saved and turned into cultural centers. Even smaller Art Deco buildings have been preserved as part of America’s architectural history. For example, an Art Deco café and gas station along Route 66 in Shamrock, Texas, is now a historical monument. The Miami Beach Architectural District protects hundreds of old buildings and requires new buildings to match the old style. In Havana, Cuba, many Art Deco buildings have fallen into disrepair. Work is being done to restore them to their original look.

In the 21st century, new versions of Art Deco, called neo-Art Deco, have appeared in some American cities. These designs are inspired by original Art Deco buildings from the 1920s and 1930s. Examples include the NBC Tower in Chicago, which is inspired by 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City; the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada, which includes Art Deco features that remind people of the Hoover Dam; 99 Hudson in Jersey City, New Jersey, the state’s tallest building and the 46th tallest in the United States, which uses Art Deco-inspired limestone and glass patterns; and the Brooklyn Tower in Brooklyn, New York, the borough’s tallest building and the 19th tallest in the country, with its black glass and bronze pipes.