Carpets of the Art Deco Era

The art and design revolutions of the early 20th century created carpets of extraordinary vitality.

First the flourishing Art Deco movement spread bold patterns across Europe and America, before giving way to sophisticated Modernist abstractions influenced by the Bauhaus, Cubism and collage. In just a few decades carpet design was transformed into a showcase of the avant-garde, as legendary artists and designers such as Picasso, Poiret, Gray, Delaunay, Matisse and Klee created dazzling works of art still collected and admired today.

The design revolutions of the early 20th century were woven into the very fabric of the carpets and rugs of that era. Carpets of the Art Deco Era, previously published as 'Art Deco and Modernist Carpets' and now reissued in PLC, is the most in-depth history on the subject.

It charts the evolution of carpet design out of the floral effusions of the Victorian salons and into the angular elegance of Art Deco and bold abstraction of Modernism popularized by the machine age. Such artists and designers as Picasso, Poiret, Gray, Delaunay, Matisse, Klee, and many more advanced the designs going on underfoot, making these rugs extremely collectible artworks in their own right.

Contents List

Introduction: From Art Nouveau to Art Deco • Art Deco: A Riot of Flowers & Colour: Carpets of the Coloristes (France); Towards an Industrial Aesthetic (Germany & Austria); A Boom in Carpet Weaving (Belgium and Holland); The Omega Workshops (Britain); A Diversity of Design Traditions (Scandinavia, Italy, Eastern Europe, Spain) • The Modernist Carpet: Art Meets Industry: L’Art Utile versus L’Art Decoratif (France); Crucible of Modernism (Germany, Austria, Switzerland); Abstract Interiors (Belgium & Holland); An Avant-Garde Revival (Britain); Swedish Modern (Scandinavia); A Style of Their Own (USA)

About the Author:

Susan Day was Chief Librarian at the Institut Français d’Architecture for 23 years, and has acted as Scientific Advisor for the Louvre and Les Arts Décoratifs Museum.