1925 EXPOSITION INTERNATIONALE DES ARTS DÉCORATIFS ET INDUSTRIELS MODERNES

Woodcut exhibition poster designed by Robert Bonfils. Image courtesy V&A Museum.

The Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes was a spectacular exhibition held in the heart of Paris between April and October 1925. The aim was to showcase new modern styles in architecture, interiors, furniture and decorative arts, bringing them out of private studios and onto the world stage for the first time. And showcase it did - 15,000 exhibitors took part and 16 million patrons visited the fair, which is widely thought of as the birthplace of Art Deco. In fact, the term ‘Art Deco’ was derived from the exposition’s title but wasn’t actually coined until the 1960s, when the style enjoyed a renaissance. 

Exhibition programme cover, 1925. Image courtesy Souviens Toi de Paris.

The idea for a decorative arts exhibition was conceived by La Société des Artistes Décorateurs, a group of craftsmen formed in 1901 hoping to elevate the status of applied art to that of fine art. The French government agreed to their proposal in 1911 but several wartime deferrals meant that the Expo wasn’t scheduled until 1925, by which time the Modern Movement was blossoming. Rejecting decorative lexicons of the past, the organising committee stipulated that all pieces be original, practical and “show clearly modern tendencies” - historical styles would be frowned upon.

Beset with industrial and economic challenges after the First World War, France presented the Expo as a deliberate march towards a hopeful future, whilst reasserting itself as the international home of art, design and taste. The twenty exhibiting countries were largely made up of European Allied nations. Germany wasn’t invited to take part and consequently, the Bauhaus were a no-show at the Expo. The United States was also notably absent; U.S. Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover believed the country to be somewhat behind in matters Modern and lacked ample designers to represent it.

Pavilions on Esplanade des Invalides. Image: Musée des Arts Décoratifs.

Furniture in the René Herbst showroom. Image: Musée des Arts Décoratifs.

The exhibition spanned seventy-two acres of central Paris either side of the River Seine, from the Grand Palais to the Esplanade des Invalides (think an Olympic village but for decorative arts). Twelve gates, each designed by a different architect, welcomed visitors into the fair where they could amble through a fantastical parade of pavilions housing works of furniture, glass, ceramics, textiles, metalwork and fashion. From chaises longues to cutlery, vases to vanity cases, all manner of decorative delights were on display. But it was the pavilions themselves that got visitors talking, each vying for attention with sculptural friezes and facades. Unlike the Grand Palais and Tour Eiffel built for previous World Fairs, the pavilions were designed to be temporary (sadly for us), which gave the architects freedom to flex their imaginations and bring whimsical ideas to life. Each country was represented by a pavilion by a national architect, aside from France, who boasted two thirds of the fair’s attractions, many hosted by luxury department stores.

The array of vernacular styles reflected the diverse takes on Modernism at the time. The Soviet Union pavilion was an angular utilitarian building in the Constructivist style; by contrast, the Parisian Galeries Lafayette pavilion stands like an Art Deco cathedral, luring visitors through marble columns towards an arresting sunburst glass frieze. Some countries (ahem, Britain) clung more gingerly to the past, presenting a semi-modernised take on Classical styles. Indeed, the Expo showcased so much more than Art Deco: the red brick Expressionism of The Amsterdam School, the alabaster minimalism of Le Corbusier’s L’Espirit Nouveau and the plush opulence of French Moderne were just some of the novel styles enjoyed in Paris.

La Maîtrise Galeries Lafayette pavilion, designed by Joseph Hiriart, Georges Tribout and Georges Beau

Postcard of péniches decorated by Paul Poiret, 1925

Unsurprisingly, it was France that stole the show. The Expo was liberally sprinkled with contributions by French designers including Robert Mallet-Stevens, Louis Süe and André Mare, Sonia Delaunay, Lanvin, Maurice Dufrêne, Jeanne Malivel and Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann. Visitors flocked to barges (or péniches) lining the Seine, each adorned with painterly florals by couturier Paul Poiret (I was delighted to find this original postcard of them at a quiet postcard fair in Paris twelve years ago). Another popular attraction was a fifty-foot decorative glass fountain by French glassmaker René Lalique. Once illuminated at night, Paris delivered on its promise as the City of Light.

Two major opposing forces were at play during the fair - Art Deco and avant-garde Purism. The latter was spearheaded by Le Corbusier, who argued that buildings and their objects should be functional, machine-made and ornament-free. His modest ‘Pavilion of the New Spirit’ shocked the organising committee with its concrete construction and radically sparse interior. By contrast, French Art Deco interiors flaunted elegant curves, sumptuous fabrics and rich jewel colour tones. This style is typified by furniture maker Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann whose pieces were crafted from exquisite rare woods and veneers, inlaid with ivory and mother-of-pearl. Despite its success, the Expo did receive criticism for its focus on luxury and the spending of public money on frivolous temporary structures.

In a pre-internet age, the Expo or World Fair was the best way to disseminate new styles to a global audience. Despite their absence in Paris, the exhibition went on to play a significant role in the development of Modernism in America. Hoards of U.S. designers, buyers and journalists attended, enthusiastically gathering inspiration to take home. The 1925 Paris Exposition captured a snapshot of the design world at a pivotal moment, with different factions striving to define what ‘Modern’ truly meant. Its legacy cannot be understated; in bringing new styles to the world stage, a cross-pollination of aesthetic ideas took place that irrevocably shaped 20th century design.

Interior of the Pavillon de l'Esprit Nouveau designed by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret, 1925. Image: Musée des Arts Décoratifs.

Illustration of the boudoir in Ruhlmann’s Hôtel d’un Collectionneur pavilion, 1925. Image: Musée des Arts Décoratifs.

Dressing table by Ruhlmann, oak veneered with Andaman padauk and purpleheart, inlaid with ivory and ebony, c.1925. Image: V&A.