Art Deco (c.1908 to 1935)

Art Deco began in Europe, particularly Paris, in the early years of the 20th century, but didn’t really take hold until after World War I.  As the world let its hair down after the hell of WW1, Deco truly reigned until the outbreak of World War II. This particular era of decorative arts seems more nostalgic than most. Perhaps because it yielded such creativity, or maybe because it is reflective of a time where so many things happened on the historical time line.  A sampling of this active time in history: the Empire State Building “scraped the sky”, assembly lines were created, Edison invented the first talking films, Lindbergh forever changed aviation with the first solo flight across the Atlantic, Penicillin was discovered, Pluto was discovered, Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered, the “unsinkable” Titanic fatefully set sail, jazz was born, the Charleston and the Tango were the rage, Cubism was the hip art style and Picasso was leading the way. It was the era of Prohibition, Fascism, Darwinism, Surrealism, the Great Depression and gangsters. Certainly not dull. How did all of this translate into the decorative arts of the time?  [Read more…] about Art Deco – Influences and Furniture, and a Resource