Art Deco Design

SHORT COURSE: Discover the delights of Art Deco, the most distinctive of inter-war styles.

Explore the new directions in painting, the rise of the machine aesthetic, and the new interest in ancient Egyptian, Aztec and Mayan cultures and the arts of Africa and Japan. Art Deco was a modern style, utilising new materials like aluminium, Bakelite and chromium. It was a sumptuous luxury style, characterised by handmade goods for wealthy
consumers. Survey the development of skyscrapers, Art Deco and Jazz Age interiors, furniture and fashion in Europe and America, and explore the work of key figures such as Emil-Jacques Ruhlmann, Eileen Gray, Paul Poiret and Rob Mallet-Stevens. Examine the V&A’s outstanding collection of Art Deco furniture, fashion, books and household objects to see how these influences and materials created innovative and avant-garde art and design.

Tuesdays, 23 April – 2 July 2013 (Half term: 28 May), 2:00pm - 4:30pm.