GEOMETRIC GLAMOUR How Art Deco conquered the world
A style of architecture that forever changed the look of cities was born a century ago. Sharp, symmetrical, opulent and futuristic, Art Deco defined the aesthetics of the interwar period
Bund noću, sa zgradom Banke Kine i hotelom „Fermont Pis” The Bund at night with the Bank of China building and the Fairmont Peace Hotel
B efore Art Deco conquered world architecture and shaped edific- es like the Chrysler Building or Park Hotel Shanghai, it debuted on ocean liners. It was exactly a century ago that the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, the French Line, complet- ed and commissioned the interior of the SS Île de France, which became the first ship to be decorated entirely in the Art Deco style. Ocean liners had previously imitat- ed old English courts (like the Titanic), but in August 1926, the SS Île de France introduced modernism that was shock- ing - monumental staircases, halls with Lalique crystal, ebony furniture and aer- odynamic lines. In navigating the route between Europe and America, this float- ing temple of glamour literally carried the seeds of new design across the At- lantic, inspiring the construction of New York’s skyscrapers and causing an ar- chitectural avalanche that would forev- er change the look of world capitals. Art
Deco shaped NYC’s legendary Chrysler and Empire State buildings, but also Chi- cago‘s 1929 Carbide and Carbon Build- ing, with its combination of dark green granite and gold leaf making is resemble a large champagne bottle. This style, which officially emerged in Paris at the 1925 International Exhi- bition of Modern Decorative and Indus- trial Arts, celebrates the machine age, industry, cubism and speed. It is charac- terised by sleek geometry, chevrons, zig- gurat-like patterns and the use of new, luxurious materials such as chrome, stainless steel, lacquered exotic wood, Bakelite and crystal. However, Art Deco wasn’t only about architecture, but rather encom- passed a comprehensive visual move- ment permeating all spheres of life and marked by top artists, such as Tamara de Lempicka, an absolute icon of the fine art of this era. Her portraits of aristo- crats, made under the influence of “sof-
tened” cubism, with sharp lines and me- tallic reflections, became an aesthetic signature of the decadence of the 1920s. Another prominent figure was Erté, a Russian-born French designer and illus- trator whose lavish fashion illustrations and sets for Broadway plays defined the concept of modern elegance. René Lali- que and Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann cre- ated their own revolutions - the former in the design of glass and crystal chan- deliers, the latter setting the standard for luxury furniture using ivory and rare tropical hardwoods. While Americans built skyscrapers in a race to achieve greater height, Eu- ropean Art Deco focused on temples of entertainment, luxury living and pub- lic spaces, leading to the creation of world-famous buildings. Among them is Paris’s Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (1913). Although the style was only of- ficially named later, this theatre is con- sidered the world’s first major Art Deco
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