About this product
British Art Deco Sofa with Cloud Back and Rounded Sides.
About
Art Deco, short for the French Arts décoratifs (lit. ’Decorative Arts’),[1] is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in Paris in the 1910s (just before World War I),[2] and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920s to early 1930s. Through styling and design of the exterior and interior of anything from large structures to small objects, including how people look (clothing, fashion, and jewelry), Art Deco has influenced bridges, buildings (from skyscrapers to cinemas), ships, ocean liners, trains, cars, trucks, buses, furniture, and everyday objects including radios and vacuum cleaners.[3]
Art Deco got its name after the 1925 Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes(International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts) held in Paris.[4] Art Deco combined the styles of early 20th century Modernist avant-garde, with the fine craftsmanship and rich materials of French historic design, but also sometimes with motifs taken from non-Western cultures. From its outset, Art Deco was influenced by the bold geometric forms of Cubism and the Vienna Secession; the bright colours of Fauvism and of the Ballets Russes; the updated craftsmanship of the furniture of the eras of Louis XVI and Louis Philippe I; and the exoticized styles of art from China, Japan, India, Persia, ancient Egypt and Maya.
During its heyday, Art Deco represented luxury, glamour, exuberance, and faith in social and technological progress. The movement featured rare and expensive materials, such as ebony and ivory, and exquisite craftsmanship. In New York, the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, and other buildings from the 1920s and 1930s are monuments to the style.
