The National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne is hosting an amazing exhibition called “Art Deco: 1910-1939” from 28 June – 5 October, 2008. The collection of over 300 works, encompassing painting, jewelry, fashion, industrial design, graphic design, film, architecture, automotive design, photography and furniture, is on loan from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Here is the NGV’s description of the movement:
Spanning the boom of the roaring 20s and the Depression-ridden 1930s, Art Deco came to epitomize all the glamour, opulence and hedonism of the Jazz age. It was the era of the flapper girl, the luxury ocean liner, the Hollywood film and the skyscraper.Some of the pieces on display include:
Strand Palace Hotel staircase by Oliver Bernard, 1930-31
Chimère beaded silk evening dress by Paquin, 1925
Bronze polar bear by François Pompon, 1927 (cast 1933)
Pyramid sapphire and diamond clip brooch by Cartier, 1936
The maypole (Empire State building) by Edward Steichen, 1932
Photo credit: National Gallery of Victoria
