Elle Decor
A sweeping showcase marking the 100th anniversary of Art Deco has brought the movement back to where it all began: Paris. Now through next April, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs is presenting a three-story exhibition, called « 1925-2025: One Hundred Years of Art Deco, » with more than 1,200 historic treasures ranging from silverware and jewelry to furniture and even entire train carriages.
Historians attribute Art Deco’s beginnings to the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts. The movement bridged the aesthetic gap between richly embellished Art Nouveau and the streamlined mid-century styles that followed. Bold geometric patterns, sharp lines, polished metals, and contrasting colors are all hallmarks of the design period, which continues to have a lasting influence on designers and artists today.
ELLE Decor spoke with Mathurin Jonchère, a member of the exhibit’s curatorial team, to discuss the new show.
ELLE Decor: What are some of the can’t-miss pieces in the exhibit?
Mathurin Jonchère: Jewelry has always fascinated the public, and Cartier was one of the first maisons to drive this new (Art Deco) style, refining its designs with geometric shapes and bold color combinations. We present approximately 70 extraordinary pieces by Cartier ranging from necklaces to brooches to watches.
We also highlight three major Art Deco designers: Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann, Eileen Gray, and Jean-Michel Frank. They each embody the very essence of the Art Deco style in their own way, and we present masterpieces by each of them, such as Ruhlmann’s Elysée Sideboard, Gray’s Sirène Chair, and a parchment cabinet by Frank.
What was the biggest challenge in putting the exhibition together?
The biggest challenge was to make the public understand what Art Deco is. When we think of Art Deco, we always think of clichés like The Great Gatsby, the boyish figure, or brass furniture. We wanted to give them an idea of the diversity that existed between the 1910s and 1930s. In our exhibition, the public will discover the variety of Art Deco, from the geometric abstraction of Sonia Delaunay’s textiles to more traditional boudoir of Nelly de Rothschild.
How does the design by Atelier Jodar and Studio MDA enhance the experience for visitors ?
Sylvie Jodar, of Atelier Jodar, has a keen eye for objects and knows how to arrange them perfectly. Her scenography helps create a common thread for our exhibition, which is spread across three different levels of the museum. We never adopt a nostalgic approach; on the contrary, the scenography is very contemporary, with bright colors and interference filters that guide the visitor throughout the exhibition. The only homage to Art Deco lies in the use of the screen form, an iconic piece of furniture for artists such as Jean Dunand, Eileen Gray, Armand-Albert Rateau, and Edgar Brandt.
The section dedicated to the Orient Express is more immersive, with a scenography reminiscent of a train station platform. The visitor will feel as if they are on the train, and this sensation will be reinforced by the presence of two historic carriages (notably the Étoile du Nord from our collection, which has been restored) and three models of the new Orient Express by the Maxime d’Angeac Studio.