The Epic of Art Deco

Art Deco rises from the shadow of a great war in cities that refused to stay in mourning, among jazz, cinema, the automobile and the airplane. Its principles unfold in turn: geometry becoming ornament, luxury held under the rule of order, the machine age made beautiful and the urge to ascend. William Van Alen's Chrysler Building, Radio City Music Hall, the Empire State Building and the Paris exhibition that gave the style its name stand as stations, before the style spreads to perfume bottles, the pastel streets of Miami and Streamline Moderne. The Depression and another war end the celebration, and the book closes on Chrysler's crown, where a whole age still shines.