French Art Deco vs American Art Moderne
How to Collect in Florida
By Sheila Hollihan-Elliot
By 1900 it seemed the
whole world was ready for
a change – the design
world especially was
looking for something
new and different to
herald the new 20th
Century – something as
revolutionary as what
the fine artists were
then experimenting
with. Designers and
architects had tired
of fussy ornamented
Victorian designs based
on historical styles – Gothic
revival, neo classicism, and
other ”isms”.
At the same time, in Europe,
the national governments
supported academies
and craft workshops to
help their designers
develop items that
would compete
globally in trade and
exports. Nations
with colonies,
such as France
and England,
especially wanted
to find ways to
profit from the
raw materials
gathered
throughout their
empires.
France had
always been
known for luxury
goods – couturier
fashion, paintings,
sculpture.
Although there had been
great expectations for the
Art Nouveau style in the
end of the 19th Century,
that style was easily
copied in inexpensive
knockoffs. So, the
government sponsored
academies encouraged
a new look: teachers
emphasized the use
of exotic and costly
materials from the
French colonies – rare
woods, ivory, shagreen,
lacquers etc.
Continued on Page 58
American Art Deco Silver
Leafed Mirror & Gazelle
Sculpture
Portrait drawing of
Rudolph Valentino
Max LeVerrier
”greenie”
Lamp
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