Art deco

Magazine Antiques, March, 2003 by Miriam Kramer

Following the exhibition devoted to art nouveau in 2000 at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the logical successor is on view from March 27 until July 20. The aim of the exhibition, entitled Art Deco 1910-1 93 9, is to explore the development of the style in Europe in the years before World War I, its peak in 1925, and its subsequent spread around the world.

The show is divided into several sections. "The Style and the Age" includes typical objects from around the world, while "The Sources" contains artifacts from ancient Egypt and Greece as well as Japan, China, and other civilizations that influenced art deco designers. The Exposition internationale des arts decoratifs et industriels modernes held in Paris in 1925 marks the high point of the style, and the relevant section brings together a group of important works exhibited there. "The Spread of Art Deco," shows how European designers used exotic imagery and materials as well as the designers' response to the stock market crash of 1929. "The Deco World," shows the global development of the style and its international appeal, which brings us to the final section, "Streamlining."

In London the exhibition is sponsored by Ernst and Young. The show will also be seen at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto (September 20 until January 4, 2004), and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (August 22, 2004, until January 9,2005). The curator is Ghislaine Wood, who, with the consultant curators Charlotte Benton and Tim Benton, wrote the catalogue to the show.