Description

The Art Deco movement, which swept through Europe and the United States in the early twentieth century, signalled the beginning of the modern age of design. This dazzling and distinctive style, emphasizing up-to-date individuality combined with good taste, fine materials, and exquisite artistry, soon created new standards in furniture design, architecture, and the decorative arts. In furniture especially, the French predominated, from the virtuoso cabinet-making of Ruhlman to the brilliant originality of Gray and Legrain.

In Art Deco Furniture, Alastair Duncan introduces us to the work of eighty-five French architects, interior designers, and furniture makers. These pioneering designers replaced the heavy, stylized past with simpler furniture in concept, geometric form, and highlighted by dramatic lines and elegant curves. The colour and monochrome photographs―almost all specially commissioned for this book―form a valuable portfolio of Art Deco furniture. This detailed study serves as an essential reference book for collectors and an extraordinary chronicle of one of the most exciting design movements in decorative arts history. 312 illustrations, 68 in colour