American Art Deco: An Illustrated Survey

By Dover Publications

One of the most popular forms of twentieth-century design, the Art Deco style dominated the decorative arts in the 1920s and '30s. Championed by progressive architects and inspired by such diverse influences as the industrial age and Native American art, it became a form of artistic self-expression for nearly three decades. This volume includes scores of photographs and important articles that describe the aesthetics of this distinctive style.
An introduction by architectural critic Lewis Mumford is followed by commentaries by such notables as Frank Lloyd Wright on design principles; theatrical and industrial designer Norman Bel Geddes on outfitting business interiors; and Edward Steichen on commercial photography.
A fascinating glimpse of an exciting and innovative period in the history of American design, this book will appeal to a wide audience ― from interior decorators and graphic artists to students of art and lovers of the Art Deco style.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Release date: Feb 6, 2013
• ISBN: 9780486157931

Book preview

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KEM WEBER

THE MODERN SHOP

The modern American store with its necessary requirements is certainly not a place for superficially applied interior decoration nor is it the outlet for artistic temperament.

Its problem is not solved by standardized store equipment corporations who have made no basic change in their solutions for the last twenty years and who cannot consider the individual problems of a store because of their huge stock of standardized materials.

Successful merchandising today is dependent upon the ability of the retail merchant to keep pace with modern progress and to be thoroughly cognizant of the latest developments in relation to the merchandise he sells.

Public acceptance of a newly developed commodity depends upon the consideration and interest the retailer gives to it and upon his effort to awaken public recognition for its advantages. Because of his position as a combination of servant and tutor to the public taste, the modern American retail merchant is becoming more and more an important factor in the cultural development of his country.

It is evident that American merchants have not awakened to the importance of keeping their stores esthetically in tune with the progress made in their products.

Theoretical and practical retail merchandising problems, merchandising efficiency, economy, buying and selling, advertising, etc.,—in fact all of the various phases of store operation are being discussed in conventions, in the trade press, and through professional merchandising advisors.

Innovations are being analyzed and compared, experimented with, and if successful employed everywhere.

This co-operative progress, however, has not included any question of esthetics.

The importance of public reaction towards appearance, the strong psychological influence of well balanced form and color is finding only occasional recognition here and there.

Its vital and direct influence on the success of retail merchandising establishments has never been fully accepted.

Store appearance and store designing, the necessity of attraction, practical store requirements, etc., are being solved through a stereotyped method of selling store equipment.

The retail merchant has a limited selection of typical store fronts and display windows which vary in type slightly, depending upon the merchandise to be sold.

There are more or less typical solutions for each of the various branches of merchandise which standardize appearance and which classify any departure as radicalism.

The particular locality of the store, its immediate environments, the individuality of the community and the people the store is to serve, the characteristic methods of operation, which in many cases have been responsible for its success—all of these are being continually submerged in favor of a standardized method of planning and design.

Store designing has been divided into two functions.

First—store planning which incorporates all the practical requirements and which is based upon a traditional development of business