“Art Deco is balance and straight line”

What is Art Deco?

It is an artistic and architectural movement which profoundly marked the first half of the 20th century. We recognize it by its straight lines, its geometric shapes, its symmetrical compositions. Both refined and functional, it combines the noble materials of craftsmanship and industrial techniques. It’s the Paris of the Roaring Twenties, but also the New York skyscrapers and the transatlantic liners.

What is the difference with Art Nouveau?

Chronologically, they follow each other closely, and their names are similar. But Art Nouveau, which appeared at the end of the 19th century as a revolt against academicism, borrows its forms from nature: arabesques, sinuous lines, plant motifs, insects… Everything abounds there. While Art Deco favors straight lines, purity and balance. A simple marker to distinguish them: if the line undulates, it’s Art Nouveau; if it goes straight, then it’s Art Deco.

What legacy of this movement do we preserve today?

Safeguarding this heritage is much more than preserving an aesthetic. It’s bringing excellent know-how to life – ironwork, cabinetmaking, stained glass, mosaic, gilding… So many trades that perpetuate this memory by reinventing it. With its theme “Heritage & Art Deco”, the International Cultural Heritage Exhibition* pays tribute to the artisans, creators, restorers and architects who preserve or reinterpret this style.

*culturalheritage.com