Art Deco has been on the rise in the last 10 years, when I wrote post Art Deco in France lamenting about the lack of attention to Art Deco in art historiy. This changed when Art Deco became the center of several major exhibition like “1925 When Art Deco dazzle the World” in Paris in 2014.
Art Deco in China has also gained a lot of attention particular through Laszlo Hudec work and the 2015 Word Congress on Art Deco in Shanghai. The link between Art Deco in France and China was shown in the small but beautiful “Art Deco, The French China connection” in Hong Kong in 2019. Now a new exhibition is showcasing Art Deco in Paris and Shanghai. Located in Shanghai, it shows many rare pieces, and is definitely worth a visit.
Located in the former British Consulate on the Bund, it perfectly matches this fine location. The main theme of the exhibition is the strong link between art and craft in the 1920s and the 1930s, the art deco era. The tour de force was to bring pieces from Paris museum and show it along rarely seen pieces of Shanghai art deco. A large share of the exhibited items come from famous painter Ding Yi /丁㇠’s private collection.
Art deco was a global style of art and craft, but it also had it own local variations. The exhibition also highlights the way art and craft in 1920s and 1930s influenced each other. Modern Shanghai used a lot of western references, but Art deco in Europe was also heavily influenced by Asia and China. The exhibition success is to make this visible.
The exhibition tour de force is to show numerous Shanghai art deco pieces, furniture, lights, cloths and advertising posters. It is very diverse, showing the width and variety of Shanghai art deco production. It also shows rarely scene pieces including real old Shanghai Qipaos and wonderful dragon carpets reminding of the cover of Tintin’s Blue Lotus. It also adds movies including the ones of Ruan Lingyu / 阮玲玉 and literature including 1930s Shanghai author like Mu ShiYing / 穆時英 and Shi Zhecun / 施蛰存.
The exhibition is located at Bund 33 and will last until February 16th 2025. Tickets are 150 RMB for person, 200 RMB for 2 people. It is a must go for anybody interested in Shanghai history and art deco lovers.
Art Deco exhibitions have been numerous in 2025, celebrating 100 years of Art Deco. The main one was “1925-2025, 100 years of art Deco” in Paris.
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