Art Deco of the Palm Beaches is about Modernism and the beginnings of Twentieth Century design. Art is a reflection of society and in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s the world put aside conventional values and supported new ideologies. Traditional forms of art, architecture, and social organization were swept away. Art Deco was a revolt against the feminine, flowery, and curvaceous Art Nouveau movement. In the 1890s, soft, fluid forms found in nature were typified with voluptuous women draped in long flowing hair filled with vines of ivy. The emancipating Jazz Age now featured images of thin women with "boyish" bodies and "bobbed" haircuts, drinking martinis, and posing with elongated cigarette holders.

The mechanized age of Modernism, gave way to new aesthetics and an improved way of making things. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, all objects were made by hand. Mass production efforts tried to recreate one-of- a-kind items, but failed. However, the machine could do something the hand could not do, make a "straight line". Art Deco unfolded as a masculine, hard edge, geometrical "linear" celebration. Designers looked back into all of art history and studied the forms of Aztec, Mayan, Japanese, and other geometrically styled cultures. Howard Carter discovered King Tutankhamen's Tomb in 1922, which contributed to the popularity of Egyptian motifs, pyramids, and using groups of three in design.

In the early Twentieth Century, jewelry, ceramics, fashion, furniture, lighting, and everything from automobiles to radios was under the influence of the new wave called Modernism. Visual artists from Picasso to Mondrian experimented with straight lines, angles, and the geometry of Cubism. Travel was popular and African safaris brought jungle skins into the home. Fast animals associated with speed such as the gazelle, jaguar, and whippet were reflected in design. Stylized images of airplanes, automobiles, cruise liners, and skyscrapers emerged. The French ocean liner, the Normandie was launched in 1932 as the largest and fastest ship in the world. The glamorous silver screen days of Hollywood dazzled audiences with stars like Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Marlene Dietrich, and Greta Garbo.

The term Art Deco was first coined in November 1966 by Hilary Gelson in The Times as the United States was experiencing a reemergence of the streamlined style. It was made popular by Bevis Hillier in 1968, when he wrote Art Deco of the 20s and 30s, published by Studio Vista. Art Deco was taken from the Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes held in Paris in 1925. Art Deco became a "catch all" phrase for everything that was designed or built from 1925 until 1939. The outbreak of World War II required the halt of frivolity and all manufacturing was concentrated on the war machine.

Architecturally there is a myriad of styles categorized under the umbrella of Art Deco. All of these styles have their own unique qualities, although the names are often interchanged. These include Art Moderne, German Bauhaus, Depression Moderne, International Style, Jazz Age, Machine Age, Moderne, Moorish Deco, Nautical Deco, Neo-Classical, Pueblo Deco, Roaring Twenties, Streamline Moderne, Tropical Deco, Zig-Zag, and more.

The majority of modern architecture found in South Florida is actually Streamline Moderne. Art Deco has a vertical orientation with emphasis on applied decoration, while Streamline Moderne concentrates on the horizontal and the absence of man's "idiosyncratic" embellishments. A fascination with speed combined with South Florida's water based environment left an aerodynamic and nautical imprint on the architecture. "Eyebrows" , flat linear planes that look like shelves placed over windows, are elements indigenous to South Florida architecture. Rounded corners, racing stripes, flat roofs, banding, portholes, and stepped pediments are also emphasized throughout Palm Beach County.

Europe is rich with history and its buildings have lasted for several centuries. However, in South Florida the oldest existing structures are less than one hundred years old. The exceptional styles of Modernism have been discovered all through the county. If these treasures are to be forgotten, a wealth of history and a vital connection to the past will be lost forever. Therefore it is essential that the Art Deco heritage of Palm Beach County be protected, preserved, and continue to flourish into the future.


How to identify Art Deco elements