Any discussion of Art Deco architecture makes me think of iconic
American buildings like Radio City Music Hall, the Chrysler Building or the
hotels of Miami’s South Beach. The style, with its streamlined forms, edgy
geometries and flashy chrome details, perfectly epitomizes the
modern spirit of 1920s America.
But the truth is that the Art Deco style is French. It was introduced
to the world in 1925 at the Exposition
Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industrials Modernes, a state-sponsored
exhibition held in Paris. Designed to reassert France’s role as the
world leader in the sale of luxury goods, the exposition, originally scheduled for
1915, was postponed because of the war. So by the time the doors opened this innovative new style had been maturing for ten years.
