The print shows stages in the design for the Chrysler Building, an Art Deco skyscraper in New York. (Photo provided by Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art of the New York Public Library)
At the beginning of the 20th century, geometric designs featuring bold colors and luxurious materials gained popularity in art and architecture.
In 1925, the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts (Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes), also known as the 1925 Paris World’s Fair, took place in Paris, France. So, the style received its name of Art Deco based on the title of the exhibition.
Later, many countries started to consider 1925 as the birth year of Art Deco. The sophisticated style celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. The International Coalition of Art Deco Societies (ICADS) will hold the World Congress in France and Belgium in October 2025.
France is hosting an impressive exhibition, “1925-2025. One Hundred Years of Art Deco,” at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs from Oct 22, 2025, to April 26, 2026, to showcase how the style influenced the world.
In addition, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs presented an exhibit of the French furniture designer and interior decorator Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann in spring and summer 2025. The artist created not just furniture, but lighting, textiles, ceramics, and wallpaper.
Another great Art Deco show runs at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs from June 2025 to January 2026. It is “Paul Poiret: Fashion is a Feast.” Poiret is a French couturier whose name is tied to Art Deco through fashion, perfumery, décor, and even gastronomy.
According to Gallerie Magazine, which covers news of art and design, “Echoes of Art Deco” in Brussels, Belgium, was also a very successful event displaying how Deco-style was used in the design of a private residence with its stained glass, ironwork, ceramics, drawings, and woodwork.
Art Deco style was lovingly adopted in the United States. The largest number of Art Deco buildings in the United States is in Miami Beach, Fla., New York City, Chicago, Detroit, and…Tulsa! A few other American cities possess Art Deco architecture, too.
Art Deco’s centennial celebrations rolled through the United States accordingly. The Museum of the City of New York organized “Art Deco City: New York Postcards from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection” show during winter 2025. More than 250 postcards featuring Art Deco architecture, such as the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, and the Chrysler Building, in New York, were displayed.
Nassau County Museum of Art in Roslyn, New York, presented an exhibit, “Deco at 100” in spring 2025. Items on display included photographs, fashion, decorative arts, and posters, according to www.galeriemagazine.com.
The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas, highlighted the most famous Art Deco artist from Poland, Tamara De Lempicka. More than 90 paintings and drawings were shown in spring 2025.
Art Deco Society of Los Angeles put together a three-day celebration of Art Deco with the “Art Deco Tous Les Jours” exhibition in April 2025. The society tried to analyze how Art Deco style influenced the aesthetics of everyday life in the 1920s and 1930s, from clothing, accessories, furniture, houseware, lighting, to radios and cameras, according to www.artdecola.org.
But what about Tulsa? I plan to take a closer look at Tulsa’s Art Deco in the next part of the Reporter’s Notebook.
To be continued…
