Art Deco Sculpture

This book showcases and puts into historical context a host of sculpted works created in the 1920s and 1930s in the decorative vernacular defined loosely today as “Art Deco.” The works shown demonstrate a broad range of styles and influences: from the chevrons, sunbursts, maidens, fountains, floral abstractions, and ubiquitous biche (doe) of the Parisian geometric style to the crisp, angular patterns of the zig-zag, jazz-age, streamlined aesthetic to which architects were drawn towards 1930. The author organizes his subject into three main categories: the first features work by avant-garde sculptors (Csaky, Janniot, Pompon, and others); the second shows commercial sculpture, comprising mainly large-edition statuary, commissioned by éditeurs d’art and foundries from sculptors as decorative works for the burgeoning 1920s domestic market; while a final, third category covers architectural and monumental sculpture from around the world. With artists’ biographies, details of manufacturers, a full glossary, and a thematic index, this volume is the essential and authoritative guide for all those interested in the Art Deco style.