Art Deco Furniture
At the beginning of the twentieth century, after the birth of the new art movement (Art Nouveau) with its curvilinear features, gradually a stylization took place towards a more functional and modest style. However, even in this period, later known as the Art Deco style, exuberant materials (such as ivory, gold leaf, bronze, rosewood, macassar and shagreen) were used by great French designers, such as Emile Jacques Ruhlmann (1879-1933), Armand Albert Rateau (1882-1932), Pierre Chareau (1883-1950) Paul Follot (1877-1941) and last but not least Louis Süe (1875-1968) et André Mare (1885-1932). It’s hard to say, because other countries also made an effort in achieving the supreme French quality, but in my opinion the French excelled in their designs and craftsmanship over most other countries. The French have a ‘je ne sais quoi’ in their sense of style…