Art Deco Guide: Characteristics and Examples of Art Deco

Art Deco, short for Arts Decoratifs, was a style of visual arts, architecture, and design that began in France before World War I and spread throughout the world in the 1920s and 1930s. The decorative aesthetic of Art Deco influenced the appearance of many types of objects and materials in contemporary life, from jewelry and glassware to skyscrapers and ocean liners. This movement was one of the first modern art movements to elevate the status of everyday objects like furniture, jewelry, textiles, and ceramics to fine arts. Bold geometric forms, sleek and elongated figures, classical influences, modern materials, and high-quality craftsmanship are all hallmarks of the Art Deco style.

With the advent of the field of Arts Decoratifs—or decorative arts—in mid-nineteenth century France, craftspeople who created objects like furniture, jewelry, textiles, and ceramics were starting to be thought of as artists. The term objet d’arts decoratif—or decorative arts object—was first used in an 1868 issue of the French newspaper Le Figaro to describe the interior design of the Parisian Opera House. In 1875, decorative arts furniture designers and craftspeople were elevated to the status of artists by the French government.

Various modern art movements during the early twentieth century—including the geometry of Cubism, the intricately decorative details of the Vienna Secession, and the bright colors of Fauvism—paved the way for the lavish, eclectic style of Art Deco. Archaeology was becoming more visible in the early twentieth century, with the classical and geometric aesthetics of ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman societies becoming a source of inspiration for Art Deco designers. During the late 1920s and early 1930s, new materials were being used for art and architecture, such as chrome paint, stainless steel, bakelite, and plastic.

In 1925, the movement was officially given a name at the Paris Worlds’ Fair exhibition entitled Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes, which featured a diverse array of artworks and luxury objects in the new, modern style. Even with the onset of the Great Depression in the 1930s, Art Deco architecture proliferated across the United States, particularly in places like Miami Beach, Florida, where white and pastel art deco buildings in the “streamline moderne” style became popular, and in New York with the Empire State Building, Radio City Music Hall, and the Chrysler Building. By the end of World War II, the style had mostly fallen out of fashion.

Here are a few characteristics of the Art Deco style.

1. 1. Geometric shapes: Art Deco style is recognizable for its geometric ornamentation because the movement’s artists were influenced by the geometry of Cubist paintings, repeating geometric shapes like squares, triangles, chevrons, and zig-zags in their art.
2. 2. Ancient or non-western inspiration: Art Deco artists often incorporate stylized motifs inspired by ancient Greece or Egypt, as well as aspects of Japanese, Chinese, Indian, and African art.
3. 3. Craftsmanship: Decorative arts objects—especially furniture, textiles, and jewelry—were often made by hand, displaying the tremendous skill of the craftsman. With the rise of industrialization, beautifully designed, well-made objects could be mass-produced.
4. 4. Stylized figures: Painters and sculptors working in the Art Deco style often created elongated or stylized images of the human form.

Here are three examples of famous Art Deco works of art.

1. 1. The Chrysler Building, William Van Alen (1930): Completed in 1930 and designed by architect William Van Alen, New York City’s Chrysler Building is perhaps one of the most famous examples of Art Deco architectural style. Its spire is decorated with panels of stainless steel, surrounding a geometric pattern of triangular-shaped windows. Stylized gargoyles are at the base of the spite, recalling ancient Greek Sculpture.
2. 2. Tamara in the Green Bugatti, Tamara de Lempicka (1929): Best known for her stylized, geometric portraits of the members of 1920s society, painter Tamara de Lempicka is one of the visual artists associated with the Art Deco movement. This self-portrait of the artist shows her behind the wheel of her muted blue Bugatti, clad in a scarf rendered with the depth of classical sculpture.
3. 3. Prometheus, Paul Manship (1934): Located in New York City’s Rockefeller Center, this gilded bronze sculpture by artist Paul Manship shows the Greek Titan Prometheus delivering fire to mankind. It epitomizes art deco style by bringing together classical influences and modern material.

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