KULTURA / CULTURE
building. Built of revolutionary rein- forced concrete and decorated with bas-reliefs by sculptor Antoine Bour- delle, it also entered the history books for hosting the famously scandalous pre- miere of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. If you visit Brussels, seek out the Vil- la Empain (1934), a monument to pure luxury designed by Michel Polak. With a polished granite facade and 24-carat gold trim, marble and ebony interiors, this residence represents the pinnacle of the era’s style. Amsertdam’s Royal Theatre Tuschinski (1921) successfully combines Art Deco with elements of the Amster- dam School. Thanks to its dramatic tow- ers, stained-glass windows and lavish in- terior, it is often considered the world’s most beautiful cinema. There is also the Hoover Building in London (1932), a masterwork of indus- trial architecture. This former vacuum cleaner factory, built in white Portland stone with turquoise and red details, was
Najveličanstveniji svetski oblakoder u stilu art dekoa, Empajer stejt bilding, simbol je Njujorka Deco skyscraper, the Empire State Building is a symbol of New York City The world’s most magnificent Art
inspired by the Egyptoma- nia that swept Europe fol- lowing 1922’s discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb. In contrast, the Palais de Chail- lot in Paris (1937), locat- ed opposite the Eiffel Tower at Trocadero Square, repre- sents the style’s late phase, with its strict and monu- mental lines. It was there that the Universal Declara- tion of Human Rights was proclaimed in 1948. If you want to experi- ence Art Deco in its most
extravagant form, the Air Serbia network takes you eastwards, directly to Shang- hai. This city was known as the “Paris of the East” during the 1930s, with its beat- ing heart represented by the Bund, the famous promenade along the Huang- pu River. Shanghai is home to Asia’s larg- est and densest concentration of Art De- co architecture, with one of the world’s most complete collections. It was here that Western capital met top Chinese craftsmanship, creating a specific hybrid style known as Chinese Modernism. Among hundreds of buildings, Shanghai boasts three standout icons. Built in 1929 – with a distinctive green copper pyramid on the roof, massive re-
volving doors and Italian marble floors – the Fairmont Peace Hotel has been dubbed the most beautiful hotel east of Suez. In March 1936, at the pinnacle of his global fame, Charlie Chaplin visit- ed the city as part of a grand tour of the Far East, accompanying the premiere of the film Modern Times. He stayed at the Cathay Hotel, as the Fairmont was then called, in room number 51 (today’s suite 568), with his wife and lead actress Pau- lette Goddard, while at the same time, in the neighbouring suite, British play- wright Noel Coward was writing his fa- mous play Private Lives. Then there’s the Pei Mansion, built in 1934 as a private villa of the Pei fami-
ly, which also produced famous architect I.M. Pei, author of the Louvre’s glass pyr- amid. This building perfectly combines Art Deco windows and chimneys with a traditional Chinese pavilion and an inner dome decorated with double dragon mo- tifs. The 22-storey Park Hotel Shanghai, also built in 1934, was the tallest build- ing in Asia until 1963, while its vertical brown façade and stepped top represent a pure Shanghai interpretation of New York skyscrapers.
56 | Arhitektura » Architecture
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