Welcome to the Art Deco Society UK, a not-for-profit organisation bringing together lovers of Art Deco design from across the British Isles. Whether you adore vintage fashion from the inter-war period, pre-war motorcars, stylish streamline furniture, art, architecture, aviation or classic films, we hope you’ll find the society welcoming. Our approach is inclusive: we don’t want to be constrained by academic notions, but rather to advance the Art Deco cause on the basis of members’ enthusiasms, with anyone who has an eye for the style.
To inspire individuals or groups from any background or interest to discover more about the UK’s Art Deco heritage
To support the preservation, conservation and renovation of all forms of Art Deco
To advance knowledge of the movement through our talks, articles and tours, and share the latest Art Deco news
From automobiles to fashion, sculpture to graphic design, interior furnishings to the architecture that housed them, no part of the visual creative world was left untouched by what is now often referred to as Art Deco.
Emerging from a variety of new European schools of art in the 1910s, Art Deco is infused with a multitude of contrasting elements. Ancient Egypt, mechanised production, minimalism, tribal art, twentieth century innovations, the Far East, modern art, were some, but not all, of the influences which can be seen. There was one overriding undercurrent though: an optimism and desire to shrug off the immediate past and embrace a whole new world of exciting possibilities that presented themselves.
Art Deco was the first time that art and commerce truly embraced each other: while some objects were incredibly opulent, others were mass-produced; the work of artists was no longer locked up in galleries; and it offered a sense of luxury and glamour to those who embraced it.
Art Deco has not only proved to be a timeless style which is still popular today, it also inspires nostalgia and has been revived over and over again. Whether you love original Art Deco, the 1960s and 1970s revivals, or are interested in how it is used today, we welcome everyone to join us in our appreciation of this fabulous movement.
