What is Art Deco
As art nouveau was declining, around the beginning of the First World War in 1914, a new style was rising. At the beginning it had no name, but it was a more modern style than what had gone before.
In 1925 there was an international exhibition of modern decorative and industrial arts in Paris. The name ‘art deco’ is derived from the title of that exhibition, in French, which is ‘arts decoratif’.
Art Deco style bookends we’ve sold
This streamlined style is characterized by geometric shapes, straight lines and stripes, strong contrasting colours such as black, white and gold.
It showcased fine craftsmanship, using rare and luxury materials such as ebony, ivory, chrome, marble, glass and rare decorative woods. It epitomised glamour and style, all of which were an antidote to the horror of war.
Art deco style was seen everywhere, in architecture, cars and ocean liners. Art deco interiors had custom made furniture, tableware and even radios and vacuum cleaners, all made in this new modern style. Art deco fashion followed the same clean lines, with straight dresses adorned with luxury materials such as ostrich feathers and fringing. Art deco’s popularity continued into the 1930s but was beginning to fade before the start of the Second World War in 1939.
Here are some examples of art deco pieces that we have sold at Crossley Vintage Finds:
