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Art Deco

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: art deco, art déco, art decó, and Art déco

English

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WOTD – 7 October 2024

Etymology

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Examples of Art Deco: the Chrysler Building in New York City, New York, U.S.A., designed by the American architect William Van Alen and completed in 1930 …
… and an Art Deco chair and dressing table (1919) by the French designer Paul Follot.[n 1]

Borrowed from French Art déco, first used in the catalogue of an exhibition at the Musée des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, France, in 1966. Art déco is a clipping of arts décoratifs (“decorative arts”) (from the name of an exhibition called L’Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (The International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts) held in Paris in 1925), from arts (plural of art (“art”)) + décoratifs (plural of décoratif (“decorative”)).[1]

Pronunciation

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Proper noun

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Art Deco

  1. (architecture, art, also attributive) A style of decorative art (often used in household objects) and architecture originating in the 1920s and 1930s, characterized by bold geometric forms, strong contrasting colours, and simple composition. [from 1966]
    Synonym: Deco
    • 1978 July 26, Paula Judge, “Saleroom: Jane Austen Ms [manuscript] sold for £38,000”, in Financial Times, number 27,620, London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 5, column 8:
      A pair of Armada flagons were bought for £1,900 and a four-piece Art Deco tea set on a matching tray was sold at £1,500.
    • 1989, “Introduction”, in National Register of Historic Places 1966–1988, Washington, D.C.: National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers; National Park Service; Nashville, Tenn.: American Association for State and Local History, →ISBN, page ix, column 1:
      These properties reflect the wide variety of resources that represent the American heritage. They include skyscrapers in Chicago and mining structures in Alaska; prehistoric petroglyphs in Nevada and World War II fortifications in Guam; a district of art deco buildings in Miami and a district of prominent artists' and writers' homes in Santa Fe.
    • 1995, Rosanna Cirigliano, “Los Angeles”, in California, Florence: Casa Editrice Bonechi; San Francisco, Calif.: Smith Novelty Company, →ISBN, page 119:
      Always in the same district, at 61 Olive Street, is the Oviatt Building, one of [the] most important examples of Art Deco architecture found within Los Angeles city limits, and once a prestigious clothing shop boasting such clients as Rudolph Valentino and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. […] The store was replaced by today's Rex II Restaurant, decorated as an[sic – meaning a] 1920s ocean liner in keeping with the overall Art Deco decor.
    • 2021 December 15, Robin Leleux, “Awards Honour the Best Restoration Projects: The Great Western Railway Craft Skills Award: Victoria Arcade”, in Rail, number 946, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 59:
      This project has stripped away modern PVCu and aluminium shop fronts to reveal original or 1930s Art Deco work, with judicious repairs and replacements as necessary, plus stonework repairs and the restoration of traditional London Transport signage.

Alternative forms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Notes

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  1. ^ From the collection of the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris (Museum of Modern Art of Paris), France.

References

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  1. ^ “Art Deco, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, September 2024; “art deco, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading

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Anagrams

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