Art Deco: Trends in Design

This catalogue accompanies the exhibition Art Deco: Trends in Design, presented jointly by the Renaissance Society and the University of Chicago’s Bergman Gallery, May 1–June 9, 1973. The term “Art Deco,” reflecting the jazzy, stylish aspect of the period, was first coined in 1966; it is derived from the name of the great Paris exhibition of 1925, L’Exposition Internationale des Art Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes (International Exposition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts). In fact, the period was characterized by a greater diversity of ideals, tastes, and intentions than the term “Art Deco” implies and this is clearly reflected in the decorative arts of the time. While Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier were thinking in terms of simple, functional design capable of mass-production thus bringing master designs into the everyday life of many people, Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann and Jean Puiforcat were making elegant designs (in furniture and silver respectively) which carried on th