Provides a stunning visual record of the fabrics which clothed the smart women and furnished the stylish interiors of Europe and America during the age of the Ballets Russes and jazz. The Paris 1925 Exhibition brought the richly exotic designs of Paul Poiret and Raoul Dufy to worldwide attention and the fabrics pictured here trace the Art Deco style as it evolves from its initial vibrant blossoming to a starker, more geometric look. This was a time when abstract decoration came into its own by focussing attention on pattern and ornament, as artists and designers looked afresh at the conventions of pictorial representation, and felt free to innovate with dazzling results.

 

More than a hundred colour photographs provide a rich survey of the work of designers such as Robert Bonfils, Ruth Reeves and Marion Dorn. The V&A’s collection of Art Deco textiles encompasses luxury silks, handblock printed pieces and functional man-made synthetics, and here are showcased outstanding French, American and British examples from 1910 to 1939. The book provides an essential resource for students and collectors, and an invaluable general introduction to a particularly lively and popular period of textile design.