Deco delights
Words | Virginia Blackburn The Art Deco period was remarkable for flagrant displays of decadence and prioritising glamour. So it’s no wonder that now in the Noughties, objects designed in this era are so highly prized among collectors THERE ARE FEW eras in recent history that can match the glamour and excitement of the interwar years. Eight decades on and [...]
Words | Virginia Blackburn
The Art Deco period was remarkable for flagrant displays of decadence and prioritising glamour. So it’s
no wonder that now in the Noughties, objects designed in this era are so highly prized among collectors
width="180" height="97" alt="The Backless Dress, engraved by Henri Reidel, 1920 (colour litho), which conveys the Art Deco
style">
THERE ARE FEW eras in recent history that
can match the glamour and excitement of
the interwar years. Eight decades on and the
1920s and 1930s hold as big an appeal for
collectors as ever. If anything, Art Deco has
become even more popular since the turn of
the last century. As John Masters of The Design Gallery,
based in Westerham, Kent, a specialist dealer in art and
furniture from 1850 to 1950, explains: “People relate
to Art Deco more than they do to anything pre-1900.
Art Deco actually went out of fashion in the 1950s and
1960s because it reminded people of their grandparents’
furniture. But from the 1980s onwards it has been growing
in popularity, with a further leap onwards since 2000.
It has a very modern look: all those straight lines and
geometric patterns are just what we associate Modernism
with today.”
width="180" height="177" alt="La Vie en Rose by Catherine Abel, 2002 (oil on canvas)">
Muir Hewitt, of Art Deco Originals in Batley, West Yorkshire,
agrees with him. “People are familiar with the look of Art
Deco through television shows like Poirot, which is set in the
period, and the Antiques Roadshow,” he says. “On top of that,
Art Deco fits in very well with modern minimalist interiors. A
few well-chosen pieces are all you need to set the scene.”
At its inception, Art Deco was a reflection of the
changing times. A reaction to its more flowery predecessor,
Art Nouveau, it was also a reflection of the way we lived
then: skyscrapers were shooting up, cars were becoming
increasingly common and new media such as Bakelite
were emerging – all of which influenced the new art form.
Women, too, were adopting a far more public role than
they had done in the immediate past – a development
reflected in many of the figurines at the time which show
women dancing or playing sports.
width="120" height="156" alt="a modern take on Art Deco. Perfume bottle featuring">
It is these heavily stylised figurines, which show men
and women in any number of different activities, that are
probably the most popular and easily recognisable art
works from this era – which naturally makes them some of
the most sought-after (and expensive) pieces to collect.
width="120" height="165" alt="metallic spider’s web">
“The two most important sculptors of the Art Deco
period are the Romanian Demeter Chiparus and the German
Ferdinand Preiss,” says Jeremy Morrison, Head of 20th Century
Design at Sotheby’s. “The prices for Chiparus in particular have
been rising fast over the past five years. The hallmark of Art
Deco sculptures is that they are eye-catching, well made, rare,
fragile and well crafted. They are now so popular that prices
have risen by 50% to 100% in the last two years.”
The price for a work by Chiparus depends in part on its
size and the number of figures it features. His designs were
made in three different sizes, and his smaller and lesser works
are still to be had for a few thousand pounds. However, the
major figures go for a great deal more than that. In Paris
last year, Sotheby’s set a world record for a work by an Art
Deco sculptor when Chiparus’ Civa went for €314,400 (over
£220,000), and it is a mark of how prices have risen that 25
years previously Sotheby’s sold exactly the same piece for
only £24,000. Other big Art Deco names include Josef Lorenzl,
Paul Philippe and Pierre Le Faguays. Their works, depending on
size, rarity and condition, can start at about £2,000 and go up
to hundreds of thousands of pounds.
width="135" height="188" alt="Cover illustration for Vogue, November 1926. Josef Lorenzl ivory and bronze figurine entitled Joy">
“This is a very ‘strata-ed’ market,” says Masters, who
has both a Lorenzl and a Philippe figure for sale for about
£4,500 and between £10,000 to £15,000 respectively.
“Another option is to go for something made from spelter,
which is a material that is cheaper to produce and cast. It
was made for the lower end of the market at the time, and
so has always been more affordable. A spelter figure would
now cost a few hundred pounds, but it would still give you
the typical shape of the 1930s’ figures.”
Art Deco extended to every art form, including furniture,
architecture, glassware and ceramics. The last of these is
another extremely popular area with collectors, with Clarice
Cliff probably being the best-known designer from the
period. The Stoke-on-Trent-born ceramicist is now widely
regarded as one of the greatest artisans of the 20th century,
producing brightly coloured ceramics that are recognisable
even to those who don’t know anything about the period.
width="100" height="188" alt="An Art Deco Russian Dancer bronze sculpture by Paul Philippe">
“People think the designs were simple, but they were
not,” says Muir Hewitt, who has a Clarice Cliff bowl for
sale for £2,750. “She employed young women working
in bazaars to paint them, and how they could adapt the
images onto plates, conical bowls and so on, while keeping
the perspective, is remarkable.”
Other names to look out for in Art Deco ceramics are
Susie Cooper, Carlton Ware and Shelley. Lalique was a big
name then, as now, in glass.
Anyone who has ever watched a film from the 1920s
and 1930s will be familiar with the striking, clean-cut lines
of the furniture of the era. “It’s so stylish and modern, so
far ahead of its time,” says Muir Hewitt who has a Hillie
bedroom suite on sale for £6,500, comprising a wardrobe,
dressing table, stool and bedside cabinet.
“It is extremely Modernist and very Hollywood,” he says
of the suite. “You can just see Marlene Dietrich sitting at
the mirror, brushing her hair.”
A WORD TO THE WISE
-
You can find Art Deco
pieces for £50, but be
warned – they are that
price for a reason. A
piece that has been
broken, mended or
scratched is worth about
a third as much as one
in perfect condition. -
Because a lot of Art
Deco was used on a
daily basis – all those
geometrically designed
tea services that your
grandparents used to use
were Art Deco – they can
often be found in junk
shops and charity outlets.
However, just because it’s
Art Deco doesn’t mean
it’s valuable. -
Art Deco Originals, Redbrick Mill, 218 Bradford Road,
Batley, West Yorkshire, WF17 6JF, +44 (0)1924 458
800; www.muirhewitt.com -
The Design Gallery, 5 The Green, Westerham, Kent TN16
1AS, +44 (0)1959 561234; www.designgallery.co.uk -
The big three auction houses have sales featuring Art
Deco: – Sotheby’s, 34-35 New Bond Street, London W1S
2RT, tel. + 44 (0)20 7293 5000; www.sothebys.co.uk
– Christie’s, 8 King Street, St James, London SW1Y 6QT,
+44 (0)20 7839 9060; www.christies.com
– Bonhams, New Bond Street, 101 New Bond Street, London
W1S 1SR, +44 (0)20 7447 7447; www.bonhams.com - Find out more about Clarice Cliff on www.claricecliff.co.uk
- For information on ceramics, go to www.decodance.com
- There are many Art Deco specialist dealers and
specialist fairs. To find these contact Antique Fairs,
+44 (0)20 8894 0218; www.antiquefairs.co.uk or Deco
Dealers, +44 (0)115 877 4750; www.decodealers.co.uk
