El Art Deco

World of Art

by Alastair Duncan

Originating in early twentieth-century France, Art Deco is a pastiche of artistic styles, influenced by Cubism and Futurism, Egyptology and the Orient, Ballet Russes and the Bauhaus. Alistair Duncan's exhaustive work surveys one of the most exhilarating periods of decorative art, illuminating the cultural fabric of the period, and discussing some of the century's most influential artists and craftsmen and their works. From Edgar Brandt's ornate ironwork for ocean liners, to Rene Lalique's celebrated perfume bottles, to the Chrysler Building, "Art Deco" takes us on a dazzling tour of one of the century's most vital decorative movements. Antique Collector praises the book as "lavishly illustrated with photographs of interiors as well as individual pieces...an invaluable book for collectors." 194 illus., 44 in color

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Design, Art History, Reference, American

216 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1988

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This took a while to read, although it is quite short. There are a lot of photographs to accompany the text, but still there are a lot of descriptions that lack illustrations, which was a bit annoying. It was, however, a good introduction to the subject, and has introduced me to names and terms which will come in handy when I tackle other books on my favourite art period.

[Claudio Malagrino · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extensive description of Art Deco works in the domains of Art and Decoration. Not so many examples on Architecture and not so many pictures, but it's a good reference for the subject. There's a good bibliographic reference at the end of the book.

[Alexandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many names, after names, after names, then years, and names of organizations. Hard to get to any substantial information in a narrative from.
Too many black and white illustrations. If color could not be afforded no point for a book about art essentially.

[Cameron Toney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should I have dropped this at any point I would have broken my foot. This thing is enormous, a very interesting overview of art deco furniture, fabric, pottery, jewelry, and homewares. But though this is not a good volume to take backpacking, its an excellent book to flip through, read about various artists and designers, and sigh over the pictures.
Recommended for fans of art deco!

[Evan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fine overview but spends the vast majority of the book describing the little fiddly bits of art deco examples, without really setting things in historical context.

[sasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

not exactly what I was looking for

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many books on the art deco style, this one focuses mainly on sculpture and architecture, but does feature some great graphic design. Bloody expensive, though. Read before buying.