regional Art Deco in the spotlight

Planned in 1915 but postponed several times due to the First World War, the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris was finally held ten years later, from April 28 to November 30, 1925. Although we do not know the precise date of the birth of the artistic movement which took off all over the world, it is from this event that we begin to talk about the Art Deco style.

Alongside the twenty-one invited nations, the creators of our country are taking over the “French village” located on the Esplanade des Invalides. Organized at a time when France wishes to reaffirm its artistic, commercial and industrial role, the event allows several large cities (Lyon, Saint-Étienne, Mulhouse, Nice, Bordeaux, Roubaix and Tourcoing, Nancy, etc.) to present their pavilions. Some historic provinces, such as the Basque Country or Brittany, also have their own space.

In buildings with avant-garde architecture, artisans and industrialists have the opportunity to present their creations in front of 15 million visitors. No more pastiche. The regulations require exhibitors to “propose renewed aesthetic forms”. Result: a style where rusticity and modernity interact without complexes.

Fusion between art and industry

This fruitful exchange is today highlighted by the exhibition The Art Deco of the regions. Little-known modernities at the Valence Museum of Art and Archeology (Drôme). “This is an opportunity to show how regional industries have adopted this style,” underlines Ingrid Jurzak, director of the establishment.

Fabric, wood, ceramic, enamel, leather… Art Deco comes in all forms, calling on the creative spirit of local artists, industrialists and craftsmen, in sectors as diverse as furniture, silk, gloves, jewelry, porcelain and earthenware.

More than a fashion, the movement embodies an inventive France. This exhibition is a powerful reminder: a hundred years later, Art Deco has not aged a bit!