Art Deco For the Novice:
Design History in 16 Landmark Dates
1911–1913
Paris, France: The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, commissioned by impresario Gabriel Astruc and designed by Gustav and Auguste Perret, is constructed. This venue for opera, ballet and performances is considered the precursor to the first major Art Deco edifice, featuring clean functionality of design, a geometric façade, the use of reinforced concrete, and modern decorative elements.
1914–1918
World War I: The war destroys established social structures, welcomes the machine age, and leads to a wider cultural shift. This sets the stage for the rejection of the intricate Art Nouveau style. The lure of practicality and progress draws people towards a modern aesthetic.
1920–1924
Paris: The end of the war and economic boom allows for generous spending on decorative arts. There is a desire for a new start. Design elements inspired by Cubism, Fauvism, and exotic motifs from around the world begin to be incorporated. In 1922, the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen, the boy pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt, and the artefacts with gold and vibrant decoration that are unearthed, spark widespread popular interest and become an inspiration for Art Deco.
APRIL — OCTOBER 1925
Paris: The Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts) – a landmark international exhibition that showcases the latest trends in decorative arts and industrial design – is held. Over 16 million people who visit its various pavilions set up by exhibitors from over 20 countries, engage with French expertise in luxury and design. The dynamic style showcased at the exhibition, recognised by geometric forms and rich colours and luxurious materials like chrome, glass, Bakelite and lacquered wood, later comes to be identified by the moniker Art Deco.
LATE 1920S
Art Deco finds takers across Europe and the United States during the ‘Roaring Twenties’.
Popularised through Hollywood films, architecture, and fashion, the style becomes a visual representation of the ‘Jazz Age’, with a shift in social norms and the rise of the ‘flappers’ or young women who challenge norms in fashion and behaviour. The style is embraced by stalwarts across architecture, fashion, jewellery, and industrial design. Iconic designers like Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann and René Lalique become prominent figures identified with the style. The Prohibition in America leads to the rise of speakeasies, a wave of defiance, and the rise of liquor-based cocktails that are perfect to mask the taste of low-quality bootlegged spirits.
1929
New York, USA: The Great Depression kicks in, nudging Art Deco into dropping some of its extravagance and opulent materials, leading to the rise of the ‘Streamline Moderne’ sub-style, defined by horizontal lines, aerodynamic forms and smooth surfaces. Inspired by the design of planes and ships, the style adopts rounded edges and long horizontal lines characterised by the draw towards speed and efficiency during a time of economic challenges.
1930–1931
New York City, USA: The Chrysler Building (1930) inspired by Chrysler automobiles and dominated by steel construction, and the Empire State Building (1931) -a 102-storeyed Art Deco skyscraper – are completed. These are high points of the then-unnamed Art Deco style of architecture.
EARLY 1930S
Bombay, India: The style arrives to Mumbai (then Bombay) influenced by Indian architects trained in Europe and the elite enjoying exposure to Western aesthetics thanks to travel.
The city’s burgeoning port and a growing, educated middle class drive a construction boom, with office buildings, modern residences, and cinemas, all embracing the style.
1936
Miami Beach, USA: The Lincoln Theater, designed by Thomas W. Lamb with floral reliefs and smooth curves, is built, exemplifying the rise of the style in Miami, which goes on to become the home of the world’s largest concentration of Art Deco buildings.
NOVEMBER 1937
Bombay, India: The Indian Institute of Architects organises the ‘Ideal Home Exhibition,’ showcasing how modern Art Deco designs can be incorporated in the home, accelerating the style’s popularity in the everyday lives of the city’s residents.
LATE 1930S
Global: Art Deco reaches its zenith worldwide, appearing in significant structures in Shanghai and across Latin America, seamlessly adapting to local cultures and materials. The style’s reach moves beyond Europe and North America.
1939 — 1945
World War II: The outbreak of the war brings with it a shortage of materials and the need for frugality. This leads to an abrupt end to Art Deco’s popularity, as architectural tastes shift towards stringent functionalism and the ‘International Style’, in an effort to rebuild rapidly post-war.
1960S
Global: This is when the style officially gets its name. Art Deco experiences a revival, coinciding with the rise of Pop Art, a renewal of optimism and an affinity for a sense of play. Like in the 1920s, revelry and fun are back in vogue. The flourishing hippie culture reinvents the idea of liberation. Pop Art, like Deco, relies heavily on bold, bright colours and angular forms. The Rainbow Room, a legendary nightspot designed by Elena Bachman Schmidt in grand Deco style, atop Rockefeller Center’s RCA Building, is stylishly refurbished. Fashion icons and celebrities like YSL flaunt furniture and artefacts from the style, fuelling public interest.
1980S
Global: When Art Deco’s original glamour meets postmodern elements, it leads to a unique design twist that celebrates nostalgia but with freshness. Italian design firm, the Memphis Group’s furniture and decor objects rely on abstract shapes and bold colours, adding a post-modern flair to Deco. The style sees an appreciation, especially in graphic design, fashion, and through heritage conservation efforts.
JUNE 30, 2018
Mumbai, India: An ensemble of Art Deco buildings in the heart of the historic centre of Mumbai city is officially recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. In support of The Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai, the UNESCO site says: ‘Having become a global trading centre, the city of Mumbai implemented an ambitious urban planning project in the second half of the 19th century. It led to the construction of ensembles of public buildings bordering the Oval Maidan open space, first in the Victorian Neo-Gothic style and then, in the early 20th century, in the Art Deco idiom. The Victorian ensemble includes Indian elements suited to the climate, including balconies and verandas. The Art Deco edifices, with their cinemas and residential buildings, blend Indian design with Art Deco imagery, creating a unique style that has been described as Indo-Deco. These two ensembles bear testimony to the phases of modernisation that Mumbai has undergone in the course of the 19th and 20th centuries.’
2025
Global: The world, and Art Deco Alive! celebrates a century since the style’s international debut at the 1925 Paris Exposition. Its legacy endures in architecture, design, and popular culture worldwide, with Miami Beach and Mumbai standing as two of the most significant representatives of its ongoing appeal and value.