Art Deco began in Europe particularly Paris in the early years of the 20th century, but didn’t really take hold until after World War I. It was popular both in Europe and the US until the outbreak of World War II.
Its style was influenced by the changing times, with the increase in travel it took inspiration from both the places people were travelling too e.g. Egypt and Africa as well as the transport, planes, curse liners and cars. Despite using lots of industrial images and geometric lines Art Deco also oozes a sense of glamour.
Art Deco takes its name from The International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts held in Paris in 1925. The Art Deco look was spread through all forms of art and design. It was influenced by and influenced modern architecture, in particular the Bauhaus and architects such as Le Corbusier and Miles van de Rohe.
Tamara De Lempicka is probably the best known Art Deco artist and her works captured everything that was Art Deco. However she was so much a part of this style that as Art Deco fell out of favour so did her work. Art Deco is now an iconic style with continuing appeal.
