Art Deco facts for kids

The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco building

Art Deco is a style of decorative art, design and architecture of the 1920s and 1930s in Europe, the United States and other countries. It was named after an international exhibition held in Paris in 1925, but there are some examples dating back to before the First World War. Art Deco followed another design style, Art Nouveau, which was influenced by organic plant-like forms.

Art Deco was one of the first styles of modern architecture. It was influenced by different styles and movements of the early 20th century, Neoclassical, Constructivism, Cubism, Modernism, and Futurism. Later Art Deco of the mid to late 1930s is also sometimes called Streamline Moderne.

One idea behind art deco architecture was to apparently streamline buildings the same way you would streamline a car for aerodynamics. The style was much more common in commercial buildings than in houses; many banks, schools, and libraries were built in this style. Most of the public buildings built by the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression are in the Art Deco style.

Examples

Famous Art Deco buildings include the Chrysler Building in New York City and the Chicago Board of Trade Building in Chicago. Another is Bullock's Wilshire in Los Angeles. Many art deco buildings have elaborate terra cotta or murals inside them. The towers of the Golden Gate Bridge have an art deco design.

Antoine Bourdelle, 1910–12, Apollon et sa méditation entourée des 9 muses (The Meditation of Apollo and the Muses), bas-relief, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Paris. This is one of the earliest examples of Art Deco sculpture

Gallery

Packard sedan, 1941
Pennsylvania Railroad locomotive
Municipal Auditorium (Kansas City)
1937 Cord automobile model 812, 1935
U.S. postage stamp commemorating the 1939 New York World's Fair
Henryk Kuna, "Rytm" (Rhythm), Warsaw, Poland, 1925
Disused Snowdon Theatre, Montreal
Union Terminal in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1933
Niagara Mohawk Building, Syracuse, New York
"Victoire" by René Lalique, 1928
New India Assurance Building, 1936, Mumbai, India.
Sault Memorial Gardens, 1946/9

Images for kids

Joseph Csaky, 1912, Danseuse (Femme à l'éventail, Femme à la cruche), original plaster, exhibited at the 1912 Salon d'Automne and the 1914 Salon des Indépendants, a Proto-Art Deco sculpture
Table and chairs by Maurice Dufrêne and carpet by Paul Follot at the 1912 Salon des artistes décorateurs
Lady with Panther by George Barbier for Louis Cartier, 1914. Display card commissioned by Cartier shows a woman in a Paul Poiret gown (1914)
Armchair by Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann (1914) (Musée d'Orsay)
Stoclet Palace, Brussels, Belgium, by Josef Hoffmann (1905–11)
Detail of the facade, made of reinforced concrete covered with marble plaques
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, by Auguste Perret, 15 avenue Montaigne, Paris, France (1910–13). Reinforced concrete gave architects the ability to create new forms and bigger spaces.
Antoine Bourdelle, La Danse, façade of the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paris (1912)
Interior of the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, with Bourdelle's bas-reliefs over the stage
Dome of the Theater, with Art Deco rose design by Maurice Denis
Set design for Sheherazade (1910) by Léon Bakst
Art Deco armchair made for art collector Jacques Doucet (1912–13)
Display of early Art Deco furnishings by the Atelier français at the 1913 Salon d'Automne from Art et décoration magazine (1914)
Design for the facade of La Maison Cubiste (Cubist House) by Raymond Duchamp-Villon (1912)
Raymond Duchamp-Villon, 1912, La Maison Cubiste (Cubist House) at the Salon d'Automne, 1912, detail of the entrance
Le Salon Bourgeois, designed by André Mare inside La Maison Cubiste, in the decorative arts section of the Salon d'Automne, 1912, Paris. Metzinger's Femme à l'Éventail on the left wall
Stairway in the hôtel particulier of fashion designer-art collector Jacques Doucet (1927). Design by Joseph Csaky. The geometric forms of Cubism had an important influence on Art Deco
The exoticism of the Ballets Russes had a strong influence on early Deco. A drawing of the dancer Vaslav Nijinsky by Paris fashion artist Georges Barbier (1913)
Illustration by Georges Barbier of a gown by Paquin (1914). Stylized floral designs and bright colors were a feature of early Art Deco.
Lobby of 450 Sutter Street, San Francisco, California, by Timothy Pflueger (1929), inspired by ancient Maya art
The gilded bronze Prometheus at Rockefeller Center, New York City, N.Y., by Paul Manship (1934), a stylized Art Deco update of classical sculpture (1936)
A ceramic vase inspired by motifs of traditional African carved wood sculpture, by Emile Lenoble (1937), Museum of Decorative Arts, Paris
The boudoir of fashion designer Jeanne Lanvin (1922–25) now in the Museum of Decorative Arts, Paris, France
Bath of Jeanne Lanvin, of Sienna marble, with decoration of carved stucco and bronze (1922–25)
Glass Salon (Le salon de verre) designed by Paul Ruaud with furniture by Eileen Gray, for Madame Mathieu-Levy (milliner of the boutique J. Suzanne Talbot), 9, rue de Lota, Paris, 1922 (published in L'Illustration, 27 May 1933)
Postcard of the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris, France (1925)
Entrance to the 1925 Exposition from Place de la Concorde by Pierre Patout
Polish pavilion (1925)
Pavilion of the Galeries Lafayette Department Store at the 1925 Exposition
The Hotel du Collectionneur, pavilion of the furniture manufacturer Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, designed by Pierre Patout.
Salon of the Hôtel du Collectionneur from the 1925 International Exposition of Decorative Arts, furnished by Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, painting by Jean Dupas, design by Pierre Patout
The American Radiator Building, New York City, N.Y., by Raymond Hood (1924)
Chrysler Building, New York City, by William Van Alen (1930)
Crown of the General Electric Building (also known as 570 Lexington Avenue), New York City, by Cross & Cross (1933)
30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York City, by Raymond Hood (1933)
Empire State Building, New York City, by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon (1931)
Lincoln Theater in Miami Beach, Florida, by Thomas W. Lamb (1936)
The Palais de Chaillot by Louis-Hippolyte Boileau, Jacques Carlu and Léon Azéma from the 1937 Paris International Exposition
Stairway of the Economic and Social Council in Paris, originally the Museum of Public Works, built for the 1937 Paris International Exposition, by Auguste Perret (1937)
High School in King City, California, built by Robert Stanton for the Works Progress Administration (1939)
Detail of Time, ceiling mural in lobby of Rockefeller Center (New York City, N.Y.), by the Spanish painter Josep Maria Sert (1941)
Workers sorting the mail, a mural in the U.S. Customs House, New York City, by Reginald Marsh (1936)
Art in the Tropics, mural in the William Jefferson Clinton Federal Building, Washington, D.C., by Rockwell Kent (1938)
Aluminum statue of Ceres by John Storrs atop the Chicago Board of Trade Building, Chicago, Illinois (1930)
The gilded bronze Prometheus at the Rockefeller Center (New York City, N.Y.), by Paul Manship (1934), a stylized Art Deco update of classical sculpture (1936)
Portal decoration Wisdom by Lee Lawrie at the Rockefeller Center (1933)
Lee Lawrie, 1936–37, Atlas statue, in front of the Rockefeller Center (installed 1937)
Mail Delivery East, by Edmond Amateis, one of four bas-relief sculptures on the Nix Federal Building, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1937)
Ralph Stackpole's sculpture group over the door of the San Francisco Stock Exchange, San Francisco, California (1930)
Aerial between Wisdom and Gaiety by Eric Gill, façade of BBC Broadcasting House, London, UK (1932)
Christ the Redeemer by Paul Landowski (1931), soapstone, Corcovado Mountain, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Speed, a design for a radiator ornament by Harriet Whitney Frishmuth (1925)
The Flight of Europa, bronze with gold leaf, by Paul Manship (1925) (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City, N.Y., USA)
Program for the Ballets Russes by Léon Bakst (1912)
Peter Behrens, Deutscher Werkbund exhibition poster (1914)
A Vanity Fair cover by Georges Lepape (1919)
Interpretation of Harlem Jazz I by Winold Reiss (c.1920)
Cover of Harper's Bazaar by Erté (1922)
London Underground poster by Horace Taylor (1924)
Poster for Chicago World's Fair by Weimer Pursell (1933)
La Samaritaine department store in Paris, France, by Henri Sauvage (1925–28)
Los Angeles City Hall by John Parkinson, John C. Austin, and Albert C. Martin Sr. (1928)
Interior of the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) in Mexico City, Mexico (1934)
Entrance of the Villa Empain in Brussels, Belgium (1930–34)
National Diet Building in Tokyo, Japan (1936)
Mayakovskaya Metro Station in Moscow, Russia (1936)
The Fisher Building in Detroit, Michigan, by Joseph Nathaniel French (1928)
Lower lobby of the Guardian Building in Detroit by Wirt Rowland (1929)
Lobby of 450 Sutter Street in San Francisco, California, by Timothy Pflueger (1929)
Lobby of the Chrysler Building in New York City, N.Y., by William Van Alen (1930)
Elevator of the Chrysler Building (1930)
Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood (Los Angeles), California (1922)
Four-story high grand lobby of the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California (1932)
Auditorium and stage of Radio City Music Hall in New York City, N.Y. (1932)
Grand Rex in Paris, France (1932)
Gaumont State Cinema in London, UK (1937)
The Paramount in Shanghai, China (1933)
The nautical-style rounded corner of BBC Broadcasting House in London, UK (1931)
Paris' building in the Paquebot or ocean liner style, 3 boulevard Victor, by Pierre Patout (1935)
Pan-Pacific Auditorium in Los Angeles, California (1936)
The Marine Air Terminal at La Guardia Airport (1937) was New York City's terminal for the flights of Pan Am Clipper flying boats to Europe
The Hoover Building canteen in Perivale in London's suburbs, by Wallis, Gilbert and Partners (1938)
Former Belgian National Institute of Radio Broadcasting in Ixelles (Brussels), Belgium (1938)
The Ford Pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair
Streamline Moderne church, First Church of Deliverance in Chicago, Illinois, by Walter T. Bailey (1939). Towers added in 1948.
Elevator doors of the Chrysler Building (New York City, N.Y.), by William Van Alen (1927–30)
Sunrise motif from the Wisconsin Gas Building (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) (1930)
Detail of mosaic facade of Paramount Theatre (Oakland, California) (1931)
Chair by Paul Follot (1912–14)
Armchair by Louis Süe (1912) and painted screen by André Mare (1920)
Dressing table and chair of marble and encrusted, lacquered, and gilded wood by Follot (1919–20)
Corner cabinet of Mahogany with rose basket design of inlaid ivory by Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann (1923)
Cabinet by Ruhlmann (1926)
Cabinet design by Ruhlmann
Furniture by Gio Ponti (1927)
Desk of an administrator, by Michel Roux-Spitz for the 1930 Salon of Decorative Artists
An Art Deco club chair (1930s)
Late Art Deco furniture and rug by Jules Leleu (1930s)
A Waterfall style buffet table
Philips Art Deco radio set (1931)
Chrysler Airflow sedan, designed by Carl Breer (1934)
Grand dining room of the ocean liner SS Normandie by Pierre Patout (1935); bas-reliefs by Raymond Delamarre
Bugatti Aérolithe (1936)
Electrolux Vacuum cleaner (1937)
Textile design Abundance by André Mare, (1911) (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, USA)
Rose Mousse pattern for upholstery, cotton and silk (1920) (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Design of birds from Les Ateliers de Martine by Paul Iribe (1918)
Cécile Sorel, at the Comédie-Française, 1920
Natacha Rambova in a dress designed by Poiret, 1926
Coco Chanel in a sailor's blouse and trousers (1928)
Art Deco bracelet of gold, coral and jade (1925) (Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, France)
Molded glass pendants on silk cords by René Lalique (1925–30)
A gold buckle set with diamonds and carved onyx, lapis lazuli, jade, and coral, by Boucheron (1925)
Mackay Emerald Necklace, emerald, diamond and platinum, by Cartier (1930) (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, USA)
The Firebird by René Lalique (1922)
Parrot vase by Lalique (1922)
A Daum vase with sculpted grapes (1925)
Window for a steel mill office by Louis Majorelle (1928)
Daum vase (1930–35)
Stained glass windows at Amiens Cathedral by Jean Gaudin (1932-34)
A grill with two wings called The Pheasants, made by Paul Kiss and displayed at the 1925 Exposition of Decorative and Industrial Arts
Iron and copper grill called Oasis by Edgar Brandt, displayed at the 1925 Paris Exposition
Cocktail set of chrome-plated steel by Norman Bel Geddes (1937)
Fiat Tagliero Building in Asmara, Eritrea, by Giuseppe Pettazzi (1938)
St. Peter's Cathedral in Rabat, Morocco (1938)
Kologdam Building in Bandung, Indonesia (1920)
Broadway Mansions in Shanghai, China (1934)
National Diet Building in Tokyo, Japan (1936)
Ankara railway station in Ankara, Turkey (1937)
Dare House in Chennai, India (1940)
Manchester Unity Building in Melbourne, Australia (1931–32)
Sound Shell in Napier, New Zealand (1931)
Elmslea Chambers in Goulburn, Australia (1933)
Anzac Memorial in Sydney, Australia (1934)
Holyman House in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia (1936)
Century Building in Melbourne (1939)
The Price Building in Quebec City, Canada (1930)
Vancouver City Hall in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (1935)
Interior of the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, Mexico (1934)
Edificio El Moro in Mexico City (1936)
The Verizon Building in New York City, N.Y., USA (1923–27)
Bullocks Wilshire in Los Angeles, California, USA (1929)
Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA (1930–32)
Buffalo City Hall in Buffalo, New York, USA (1931)
Jefferson County Courthouse in Beaumont, Texas, USA (1931)
Niagara Mohawk Building in Syracuse, N.Y., USA (1932)
Cincinnati Union Terminal in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA (1933)
The Bacardi Building in Havana, Cuba (1930)
The Hotel Nacional de Cuba in Havana (1930)
A rundown Art Deco building in Havana
The Plaza del Mercado de Ponce in Ponce, Puerto Rico (1941)
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, France (1910–13)
Helsinki Central Station in Helsinki, Finland (1919)
National Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Koekelberg (Brussels), Belgium (1919–69)
The Mossehaus with Art Deco elements by Erich Mendelsohn in Berlin, Germany (1921–23)
Éden Theater in Lisbon, Portugal (1931)
Daily Express Building in Manchester, UK (1936–39)
Palais de Tokyo, Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, France (1937)
Mayakovskaya Station in Moscow, Russia (1938)
Rivoli Theater in Porto, Portugal (1937)
Lacerda Elevator in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil (1930)
Kavanagh building in Buenos Aires, Argentina (1934–36)
Viaduto do Chá in São Paulo, Brazil (1938)
Pacaembu Stadium in São Paulo (1940)
Central do Brasil Station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (1943)
Altino Arantes Building in São Paulo (1947)
Palacio Municipal and fountain in Laprida (Buenos Aires)
The Miami Beach Architectural District in Miami, Florida, protects historic Art Deco buildings
The U-Drop Inn, a roadside gas station and diner on U.S. Highway 66 in Shamrock, Texas (1936), now a historic monument
Art Deco neighborhood in Havana, Cuba
Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada, a neo-Art Deco building (2012)
"Skyscraper Lamp" designed by Arnaldo dell'Ira, 1929
Guardians of Traffic pylon on Hope Memorial Bridge in Cleveland (1932)
U.S. Works Progress Administration poster, John Wagner, artist, ca. 1940
"Beau Brownie" camera, Walter Dorwin Teague 1930 design for Eastman Kodak
Former Teatro Eden, now Aparthotel Vip Eden in Lisbon, Portugal: Cassiano Branco and Carlo Florencio Dias, 1931
Parker Duofold desk set, c.1930
Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City, Federico Mariscal, completed 1934
Women's Smoking Room at the Paramount Theatre, Oakland. Timothy L. Pflueger, architect, 1931
Lobby, Empire State Building, New York City. William F. Lamb, opened 1931
Federal Art Project poster promoting milk drinking in Cleveland, 1940
Interior drawing, Eaton's College Street department store, Toronto, Ontario, Canada