Art Deco designers drew on many sources in their bid to create a modern style. In the 1920s they looked globally, to the arts of Africa, Asia and Mesoamerica. Meanwhile, archaeological discoveries of the early 1920s fuelled an appetite for historical romanticism and the imagery of ancient cultures.
Egypt held a particular alure for artists and designers. The discovery of the tomb of the boy pharaoh, Tutankhamun, by Howard Carter in November 1922, sparked enormous popular interest. Generic Egyptian imagery such as scarabs, hieroglyphics and pyramids, proliferated everywhere, from clothing to cinema façades. Our hand-beaded lame evening jacket, made in Paris in 1923, is a prime example of Egyptian-inspired styling.
The exotic touched every aspect of contemporary life. Motifs such as lotus flowers, tropical birds, animals, dancing girls and native figures became commonplace, as seen in Raoul Dufy‘s richly exotic textile designs. ‘La Danse‘, a furnishing fabric of woodblock printed cretonne, features figures dancing among tropical palms, vividly evoking the exoticism of the South Sea Islands.
After the horrors of the First World War (1914–18) designers also looked to the lyrical imagery and themes of the Classical world. Subjects such as the ‘Flight of Europa’ or ‘Pallas Athena’ appeared on textiles, wallpapers and ceramic vessels.
External link: https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/art-deco-global-influences
