What is Art Deco?

Definition and origins

If you’ve ever reveled in the structural ornamentation of a New York City foyer or admired the lavish aesthetic of The Great Gatsby (Baz Luhrman, 2013), you might just be a fan of art deco. As you can see from the scene below, the excessive and luxurious mise-en-scène of Luhrman’s movie provides an example of art deco: 

Art deco was a movement in visual and decorative arts as well as fashion, architecture, and fine art that flourished in the 1920s and 30s in Europe and North America. Unlike the project of the avant-garde which often sought to challenge artistic standards and jettisoned ties from the cultural past, art deco celebrated ancient cultures and new technologies, bridging the gap between art, design, and architecture. Often interpreted as a homage to industrialism and the machine age, art deco works were bold, structured, geometric, and gilded with metallic facades. Figure 1 shows a glimpse into how this lavish industrialism appeared in architecture:

Fig 1. Fuchs, D. (2023) Art Deco architecture of New York City collage, Wikimedia Commons.

With early examples traced back to the late 1910s, art deco made its official debut at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris in 1925, exhibiting a new, modern approach to design. From there, ­art deco – based on the French term ‘Arts décoratifs’ – quickly swept across Europe and the United States during the 1920s and 30s in what Bridget Elliott and Michael Windover call “a wide and heterogeneous body of global visual and material production” (The Routledge Companion to Art Deco, 2019).

Despite its lavish and grand reputation, art deco could be observed in the utilities of daily life at that time. Prominent in furniture, kitchenware, and light fixtures, art deco found itself represented among home décor as well as the architecture of public buildings (see Figure 2).

Fig. 2. Ocean liner "M/S Kungsholm" first class smoke room (1928) Picryl.

Art deco was a movement that instilled style and beauty in functional, everyday objects. Victoria Charles and Klaus Carl describe the importance of aesthetic movements of this kind, asserting,

So what does art deco tell us about the time of its conception? What values, what cultural moments, does the movement reflect and respond to and what is significant about its particular response? This study guide will unpack these questions, leaving us with an understanding of the significance and influences of art deco.  

Art deco and modernity

Art deco was a response to the Industrial Revolution and the new period of modernity, which saw a rise in commerce, technology, and wealth disparity. Towards the end of the 19th century, decorative artists had risen to the ranks of painters and sculptors – rather than artisans – and new materials like reinforced concrete, plate glass, stainless steel, and chrome were introduced, expanding architectural and decorative possibilities. This helped shape the aesthetic of "the Roaring Twenties," popularizing the luxurious fashions and décor indicative of the upper classes.

Modernity was marked by a wealth of artistic activity; art deco was one such expression. Art deco developed from the early 1900s movement, Art Nouveau, which was characterized by asymmetry, nature, and mythology (for more on this, see Jean Lahor's Art Nouveau, 2023). Rather than a celebration of the natural world in the face of industrial progress, art deco embraced the changes of modernity; the acceleration of time and space brought by cars, trains, and aviation, was reflected in its busy, structured symmetry.

There are certainly moments of intersection between art deco and other modernist art movements. Some art deco is thought to be inspired by cubism, for example, because of cubism’s geometric shapes and angles and its two-dimensional planes, all motifs found in art deco. Art deco also features characteristics akin to futurism, like the idolatry of the machine and the belief in the mutuality of technological and societal progress.

Despite these intersections, art deco is mostly thought of as a divergence from the avant-garde, a modernist category made up of movements like Dadaism, cubism, surrealism, and futurism. The avant-garde was mostly exercised in fine art and literature and engaged politically with old aesthetic standards and the changes brought by modernity. Art deco, by contrast, was an industrial design style, integrated into the fabric of upper-class life, that seamlessly incorporated technological advancements.

Art deco’s cultural influences

As well as taking inspiration from the aesthetic of the Industrial Revolution, art deco also exhibited a combination of more far-reaching cultural influences. These ancient cultural influences were eclectic and varied, with traces of Celtic, Japanese, Chinese, African, and Mesoamerican artistic traditions. Perhaps most prominent of these was the presence of Egyptian and Central American forms, now considered crucial to the development of art deco.

Egypt

In 1922, British archeologists uncovered Tutankhamun’s tomb. Inside, they found an array of spectacular grave goods, from fine jewelry and carved sculptures to a golden chariot. Although Egypt had been a source of inspiration throughout the 1800s, this discovery had significant implications on the trajectory of Western art and design, escalating this inspiration into a veritable Egyptomania. (For more on this, see Ronald H. Fritze’s Egyptomania [2021] and Elliott Colla’s Conflicted Antiquities [2008]). 

Art deco exemplifies this impact and is associated with a revival of Egyptian motifs such as two-dimensional forms, gold accents, geometric shapes, straight lines, right angles, and fanning fronds. As Lucy Fischer notes, “Egyptian iconography is part of the style’s relentless dedication to decoration and ornament—a trend that flew in the face of more austere schools of modernism” ("Art Deco and Cinema," The Routledge Companion to Art Deco, 2019). This Egyptian revival manifested in a variety of ways, as Fischer goes on to point out, writing,

The list of Egyptian-inspired art deco motifs goes on, sometimes inspired by the iconography of Pharaohs and Nefertiti, and other times exactly copying them. In 1924, for example, the jewelry brand Cartier released a line that featured replicas of antique Egyptian jewels and figures, including broaches and belt buckles featuring gem-encrusted scarabs and faience busts of Egyptian deities (for more on art deco jewelry, see Franco Deboni’s Authentic Art Deco Jewelry Designs, [2012]). This collection exemplified how art deco incorporated the aesthetic of ancient Egypt which has since become a defining characteristic.

Mesoamerica

Another significant influence on the art deco aesthetic was Mayan and Aztec art and design. Similar to the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, this aspect of art deco was bolstered by discoveries of pre-Columbian cultures, providing new forms to incorporate into the modernist aesthetic. This feature of art deco was particularly apparent in North American architecture and design. Until the aesthetic shifts brought by art deco, Hellenistic forms dominated North American architecture. To exercise freedom from European classicism, new buildings began to exhibit the motifs and forms of Mesoamerican temples.

One example of such an influence on art deco architecture is the Guardian Building in Detroit. Nicknamed "the Cathedral of Finance," the Guardian Building is an art deco amalgamation of motifs from North American Indigenous cultures, Mesoamerica, and classicism (see Figure 3)

Fig. 3. Main entrance to the Guardian Building (2013)Uploaded by ellenm1, Wikimedia Commons.

In describing its foyer, Mike Hope writes,

Once more, we see how the symmetrical tiers and angles of the ancient world are incorporated into art deco, becoming emblematic of the movement.

Examples of art deco

As a design and aesthetic style, examples of art deco are numerous and varied. With the rise of industrial possibility proliferating the production of luxury goods like cars and jewelry, as well as public buildings like railway stations and hotels, instances of art deco are still abundantly available to us now. Below are some examples of how art deco manifested across a variety of industries.

Painting

As we have seen, art deco was most commonly a design style adorning architecture and objects of utility. Painting in art deco was more likely to be a means of ornamentation rather than art for art’s sake. Therefore, there is not a wealth of fine artists who strictly worked in the art deco style. That said, one of the artists most strongly associated with art deco was Tamara de Lempicka (1898 –1980), a Polish painter who captured the lavish and sultry lifestyles of the upper classes.

Lempicka spent most of her working life in France and then the United States, developing a highly distinct style that first became recognized during the exhibition of her paintings at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts.

Lempicka’s painting, Self Portrait in Green Bugatti (Figure 1) epitomizes glamor, opulence, and fashion. The self-portrait depicts a woman’s face and her gloved hand that holds the steering wheel of a shiny green car. The influence of early cubism is detectable in the bustling scarf that comprises the painting’s background, made up of segmented, two-dimensional planes. The smooth, almost metallic texture of Lempicka’s skin and the car – the general movement of the painting – seems an ode to consumerist modernity.

Lempicka’s work is sexy and celebratory – everything that art deco epitomized. Although, in the postwar years, Lempicka’s painting style was rendered divergent from the more abstract fashions of modernity, her style and aesthetic of painting captivated the fashion publishing world at the time and is admired to this day.

Fashion 

Lempicka’s Self Portrait in Green Bugatti was actually commissioned by the German fashion magazine, Die Dame, featuring on the publication’s front cover. In fact, fashion publications at this time often championed the new art deco style as a symbol and celebration of femininity, luxury, and freedom.

Since the 1920s, art deco has inspired the design of dresses and accessories from luxury evening gowns and party dresses to bold broaches and headpieces. Art deco accessories were crucial to the fun and glitz of the 1920s flapper whose modern look and hedonistic pursuits challenged preconceived notions of femininity.

Examples of this can be found in the works of French fashion illustrator, George Barbier (1882–1932), who was highly influential in the dissemination of the art deco style in clothing and jewelry (see Figure 4).

Fig. 4. Barbier, G. (1923) Alcyone / Robe et manteau du soir, de Worth [lithograph] Uploaded by rawpixel.com, flickr.

Layered strings of long beaded necklaces and jewel-encrusted headbands were typical of the time. Gold thread embellishments, beaded adornments, and bold floral patterns were all the rage and remain symbols of the Jazz Age and the art deco aesthetic in fashion and design (For more examples of art deco fashion prints, please see Walter T. Foster’s Fashion Illustration 1920-1950, [2013]).

Architecture

Art deco was particularly apparent in architecture. In New York Art Deco, Anthony W. Robins outlines the varied ways in which the movement appeared in architecture, noting,

The New York City skyline is particularly useful in providing examples of art deco architecture. These towering metallic structures certainly seem to be monuments to industry and power, but a close look at their details reveals a wealth of cultural references. Two famous examples of this are the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building.

Completed in 1930, the Chrysler Building exhibits classic art deco shape and ornamentation. Its metallic spire is comprised of ribbed arches containing elaborate spiked triangles, and its exterior is adorned with sleek eagle heads and radiator caps that evoke a sense of speed and industrial progress. The lobby of the Chrysler Building hosts the iconic elevator doors that depict a symmetrical, lotus motif in an overtly Egyptian reference (see Figure 5).

Fig. 5. Chrysler Building (2010) Uploaded by Dorff, Wikimedia Commons.

The Empire State Building is another example of quintessential art deco architecture. Similar in shape to the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building has a tiered top leading to a sharp point, reminiscent of a rocket about to launch (see Figure 6).

Fig. 6. Schwen, D. (2008) NYC Empire State Building, Wikimedia Commons.

The tiers on the Empire State Building, however, are shaped more like a stepped pyramid, notably like the ancient ziggurats found in Mayan and Mesopotamian temples shown in Figure 7.

Fig. 7. Osterag, R. (2006) Chichen Itza 2006, Wikimedia Commons

Buildings like these remain a reminder of the time of art deco and the monumental shifts taking place socially, economically, and aesthetically.

The legacy of art deco

World War I left Europe in disarray, but art deco marked a celebration of prosperity and joy, hoping to rebuild a future that was more lavish and grander than before.

Art deco did, however, inevitably fall out of fashion with the rise of postwar modernism that shifted away from ornamentation and towards functional minimalism; the lavish aesthetic and expensive materials of art deco seemed out of place after World War II.

In the 1960s, an art deco revival took place, coinciding with an age of hope and optimism for the future. Similarly, the 70s saw the return of art deco in the glitz and glam of party scenes like Studio 54. Since then, art deco has fallen in and out of fashion, always evoking the same sense of sleek celebration. As Robin outlines,

To this day, art deco has the same effect. Immortalized in design – from stylized film sets and costumes to ornate liquor bottles – art deco has come to be not only emblematic of the Roaring Twenties but remains a timeless symbol of opulence and glamor.

Further reading on Perlego

Art Deco Design and Ornament (2012) by Henri Rapin

The Egyptian Revival (2013) by James Stevens Curl 

Style from the Nile (2022) by Isabella Campagnol

Lempicka and Artworks (2023) by Patrick Bade

The Industrial Revolution in World History (2020) by Peter N. Stearns

Bibliography

Charles, V. and Carl, K. (2014) Art Deco. Parkstone International. Available at: https://www.perlego.com/book/3733423

Colla, E. (2008) Conflicted Antiquities: Egyptology, Egyptomania, Egyptian Modernity. Duke University Press. Available at:  

https://www.perlego.com/book/2329209/conflicted-antiquities--egyptology-egyptomania-egyptian-modernity-pdf 

Deboni, F. (2012) Authentic Art Deco Jewelry Designs. Dover Publications. Available at: https://www.perlego.com/book/111676 

Elliott, B. and Windover, M. (eds.)(2019)The Routledge Companion to Art Deco. Routledge. Available at: https://www.perlego.com/book/1603521

Fischer, L. (2019) “Art Deco and Cinema: Yesterday and Today," in Elliott, B. and Windover, M.(eds.) The Routledge Companion to Art Deco. Routledge. Available at: https://www.perlego.com/book/1603521

Foster, W. (2013) Fashion Illustration 1920-1950. Dover Publications. Available at: https://www.perlego.com/book/110763.

Fritze, R. H. (2021) Egyptomania: A History of  Fascination, Obsession and Fantasy. Reaktion Books. Available at:  https://www.perlego.com/book/776944/egyptomania-a-history-of-fascination-obsession-and-fantasy 

Hope, M. (2019) Art Deco Architecture: The Interwar Period. Crowood. Available at: https://www.perlego.com/book/3157679

Robins, A. W. (2017) New York Art Deco: A Guide to Gotham's Jazz Age Architecture. Excelsior Editions. Available at: https://www.perlego.com/book/2673605

Artwork and images

Barbier, G. (1923) Alcyone / Robe et manteau du soir, de Worth [lithograph] Uploaded by rawpixel.com, flickr.

Chrysler Building (2010) Uploaded by Dorff, Wikimedia Commons.

de Lempicka, T. (1928) Self Portrait in Green Bugatti [oil on panel]

Fuchs, D. (2023) Art Deco architecture of New York City collage, Wikimedia Commons.

Ocean liner "M/S Kungsholm" first class smoke room (1928) Picryl.

Osterag, R. (2006) Chichen Itza 2006, Wikimedia Commons.

Main entrance to the Guardian Building (2013)Uploaded by ellenm1, Wikimedia Commons.

Schwen, D. (2008) NYC Empire State Building, Wikimedia Commons.