One hundred years ago right now there was an art exhibit in Paris that I bet you’ve heard of. At least you’ve heard of the name that got attached to it. It was called the “International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts.” And it gave us the term “Art Deco.” Art Deco was one of the most popular art movements of the 20th century and many people are still captivated by its style. I was talking with a colleague last week at lunch and it came up that he collects Art Deco era posters.
Graphic and decorative artists—that is, people who sought to incorporate art into everyday items—had been around in Europe for a long time. But they felt like they were always slighted in comparison to the work of those who people thought of as “serious” artists—painters like Picasso.
In 1901, a group of them formed the “Society of Decorative Artists” and began working to stage a big exhibition of their own kind of works. The first show was scheduled for 1915 but was postponed because of World War One. It finally opened in the summer of 1925. On display was everything from architecture to jewelry, from interior design to perfume bottles and electric fans. In each thing, you could see traces of Modern art styles like Cubism.
The exhibit was a smash hit. By the end of October more than 16 million people had seen it and its run was extended by two weeks into November. “France has made up her mind to show the world what she is able to produce in the fields of modern art,” noted the New York Times, but there were artists from 20 other countries in the exhibit too. None, however, were from the United States. “Our absence is regretted,” said the Times. The rumor was that Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover had downplayed the exhibit, saying there was no modern art in the U.S.
Curator Jared Goss noted that “During the Art Deco period there was a fairly wide acceptance by the consumer public of many of the ideas put forth by avant-garde [artists], especially as they were adapted...to fashionable luxury objects that encapsulated the sophisticated tastes of the times.” That acceptance ensured that designers and manufacturers throughout Europe continued to promote this style until well into the 1930s. Indeed, the Chrysler Building in New York City that opened in May 1930 is regarded by many as the apotheosis of Art Deco style. Next time you’re in Manhattan look up and you’ll see what was popular in Paris 100 years ago.
David and Art is produced by KWBU, Waco Public Radio. You can hear this episode again and find the full archive of past shows at kwbu.org.
