In honor of The Salon Art + Design fair, we decided to brush up
on some basic design principles that originated in France and affected
20th-century design on an international level. Read on for an overview of Art
Nouveau, Art Deco, and Post-War French design, along with some key galleries,
designers, and works at this year’s fair.
Originating in France and Belgium at the end of the 19th
century, Art Nouveau was an international style that disseminated throughout
art, architecture, and design in Europe and the United States in the period
leading up to World War I. Art Nouveau is characterized by colorful, elaborate
ornamentation including sinuous lines and exotic flora and foliage and is
evocative of traditional Japanese art and
Rococo. Instead
of designing isolated objects or creating singular works of art, creators at
this time instead believed in the interior as a total environment. In Germany
and Austria, the movement was known as Jugendstil, in Spain, Modernisme, and in
the United States it was synonymous with
Tiffany Studios.
Highlights at the Fair:
Egon
Schiele,
Gerti in an Orange Hat, 1910, at Richard
Nagy Ltd.
Although the term Art Deco was coined in the 1960s, it refers to
art and design created in the time between the World Wars and particularly
references the art shown at the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts
Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris. The broadly defined style grew out
of post-WWI French endeavors to stir up commercial success and put France back
on top internationally as tastemakers and leaders in luxury trade. At its peak
in 1925, the Art Deco style at the Expo that year was meant to be purely
modern; works featured industrial imagery, geometric shapes, bold colors, and
themes of recreation and luxury. Processes like inlay, lacquer, dinanderie, and
enamel are commonly found in Art Deco designs. Art forms and imagery from East
Asia, parts of Africa, and Egypt were also influential in its formation, as
were previous and contemporary art movements including
Cubism,
Fauvism, and
Constructivism.
Highlights at the Fair:
In the wake of World War II an international design boom
occurred due to the need for affordable housing and furniture. Industrial
advancements like jet travel played an influential role and spurred an
optimistic wave of productivity. Plastic and other synthetic materials replaced
wood in socially conscious designs. Prefabricated wartime structures were used
as models to solve housing problems and pre-war Modernist visions were
resurrected due to their social considerations.
Highlights at the Fair: