What is Art Deco?

Art Deco is a design style that became popular in the 1920s and 1930s as a response to the rapid modernisation of society. It reflected an era when innovation, optimism and glamour were embraced, and focused on geometric shapes, clean lines and symmetry. The movement takes its name from the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes held in Paris, which showcased this new aesthetic to the world.

The Art Deco style was inspired by a mix of industrial progress, ancient cultures and modern art movements such as Cubism and Bauhaus. The desire for modernity after World War I meant the Art Deco movement focused on luxury, with the materials used in the works including lacquered wood, steel and glass.

The influence of Art Deco extended beyond paintings to architecture, furniture and jewellery. Key figures include Tamara de Lempicka, whose portraits featured stylised subjects in theatrical lighting, and fashion illustrator Erté, who used bold shapes and rich colours in his pieces. Jean Dunand’s work similarly explored modern design but through the innovative use of materials, working across sculpture, lacquerwork and jewellery.

Artists such as Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann and René Lalique helped make Art Deco interior design popular, through Ruhlmann’s luxurious, handcrafted furniture pieces and Lalique’s Art Deco glasswork and lighting. Within architecture, the Chrysler Building and Empire State Building in New York are both iconic Art Deco structures, with their sharp, angular forms and industrial-inspired decoration exemplifying classic motifs of the style.

What are the characteristics of Art Deco?

Art Deco is characterised by bold geometric shapes, clean lines and strong symmetry. The style often features repeating patterns such as zigzags, chevrons and sunbursts, which creates a sense of order and movement.

This style maximised rich colours and luxurious materials like chrome, glass and lacquer. Art Deco emphasises modernity and glamour, combining decorative detail with streamlined forms inspired by technology, machinery and industrial progress.

Art Deco vs Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with a focus on flowing, organic lines and natural forms inspired by plants, flowers and the human body. Art Deco was both a successor and a reaction to Art Nouveau, coming to prominence in the 1920s and 1930s.

Influenced by Cubism, Art Deco contrasted the softness of Art Nouveau with designs that were bold, geometric and symmetrical. Rather than taking its inspiration from the natural world, Art Deco reflected developments in technology and urban life.

However the influence of Art Nouveau can still be seen within Art Deco, with some Art Deco artists such as Clarice Cliff incorporating plant and floral forms into their work — though in a more stylised design than the organic forms found in Art Nouveau. Both movements aimed to bring art into everyday life through interiors, jewellery and furniture, and Art Deco maintained Art Nouveau’s emphasis on high-quality materials and craftsmanship.