Saturday, July 16, 2011

THE PARIS EXPOSITION OF 1925

The formal debut of art deco was the 1925 Exposition des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels in Paris.

Expositions were hugely influential in disseminating new ideas and trends but the last two decades it was interrupted because of the World War. The scope of the Paris exposition was tremendous. With more than 150 pavilions built in the city centre, between the Effiel tower and the place de la Concorde, interspersed with numerous cafes restaurants, theatres, monuments, plazas and gardens.

The exposition encompassed all realms of design. From an architectural perspective, pavilions were built by participating nations to display their contribution to architectural design and theory. The host nation, France, impressed most attendees in terms of architecture and design style introduced.

United states didn’t participate officially. Herbert Hoover ( the secretary of commerce ), did not believe that American designers could meet enrty requirements- producting truly new designs that did not borrow from the ancient styles or were not imitations of previous works from other countries.

Th fact that the us govt had such little faith in the works of their designers really helped inspire the designers there. So did attend the expo and they returned home wit an attitude that they indeed could contribute to the world of modern design after all, and this resulted in a creative boom in the country. The American designers were no longer inclined to think that they were inferior to their European colleagues. They felt little was new in terms of architectural design at the Paris exposition, as stated by Raymond hood. The exposition only helped convince American architects to embrace further the art deco style.

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