art deco

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Style in the decorative arts that influenced design and architecture, and is particularly associated with mass-produced domestic goods. It emerged in Europe in the 1920s and continued through the 1930s, achieving greatest popularity in the USA and France. Art deco pulls together aspects of abstraction and cubism to create a deliberately modern style, which was originally called ‘Jazz Modern’. Its features include angular, geometrical patterns and bright colours, and the use of materials such as enamel, chrome, glass, and plastic. The graphic designer Erté became fashionable for his art deco work.

Art deco pieces serve to embody the productivity and efficiency of the machine age, when mass-production popularized designs and made them accessible to many, in particular the growing middle-classes. During the art deco period product designers became involved in the process of production for the first time, as manufacturers sought to tempt customers with goods that looked up-to-date and fashionable.

The red, white, and black tricolour formed the basis of the flags of both North and South Yemen. Effective date: 22 May 1990. >>