The International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts () was a specialized exhibition held in Paris, France, from April 29 (the day after it was inaugurated in a private ceremony by the President of France)"Doumergue Opens World's Art Show; Twenty-one Nations Combine With France in a Fair That Is of Magnificent Proportions", The New York Times, April 29, 1925, p.4 to November 8, 1925"Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs – Paris 1925", Mege-Paris.org (Originally the event was scheduled to end on October 25, but since it was visited by over 16 million people by the end of October, it was extended for two more weeks). It was designed by the French government to highlight the new modern style of architecture, interior decoration, furniture, glass, jewelry and other decorative arts in Europe and throughout the world. Many ideas of the international avant-garde in the fields of architecture and applied arts were presented for the first time at the exposition. The event took place between the esplanade of Les Invalides and the entrances of the Grand Palais and , and on both banks of the Seine. There were 15,000 exhibitors from twenty countries, and it was visited by over sixteen million people during its six-month run. The modern style presented at the exposition later became known as "Art Deco", after the exposition's name.Bevis Hillier, Art Deco of the 20s and 30s (Studio Vista/Dutton Picturebacks), 1968
The idea and the organization The idea for an exhibition entirely devoted to the decorative arts originally came from the Société des Artistes Décorateurs (The Society of Decorative Artists), a group founded in 1901 which included both established artists, including Eugène Grasset and Hector Guimard, as well as younger artists including Francis Jourdain, Maurice Dufrêne, Paul Follot and Pierre Chareau. Decorative artists had been allowed to participate in the previous two Paris Salons, but they were placed subordinate to the painters, and they wanted an exhibit which gave first place to decorative arts. The first Salons of the new group were held in the newly opened Museum of Decorative Arts in the Pavillon de Marsan of the Louvre. The Salon d'Automne, a new Salon founded in 1903, honored painters, sculptors, graphics artists and architects, but again decorative arts were largely ignored. Frantz Jourdain announced the idea of holding a separate exhibit of decorative arts as soon as possible. He explained his reason in an essay written later, in 1928: "We consequently resolved to return Decorative Art, inconsiderately treated as a Cinderella or poor relation allowed to eat with the servants, to the important, almost preponderant place it occupied in the past, of all times and in all of the countries of the globe."Cited in Arwas,Art Deco (1992), page 13
The Society of Decorative Artists lobbied the French Chamber of Deputies, which in 1912 agreed to host an international exhibition of decorative arts in 1915. The plans were put aside in 1915 because of the First World War, then revived after the war ended in 1918. It was first scheduled for 1922, then postponed because of a shortage of construction materials to 1924 and then 1925, twenty-five years after the 1900 Universal Exposition.
The program for the exhibition made it clear that it was intended to be a celebration of modernism, not of historical styles. It was declared to be "open to all manufacturers whose products are artistic in character and show clearly modern tendencies." The program also stated specifically that "Whatever the reputation of the artist, whatever the commercial strength of the manufacturer, neither will be allowed into the exhibition if they do not fit the conditions outlined in the exhibition program." A second purpose was attached to the exhibition: to honor the Allied countries in the First World War. For this reason the new Soviet Union was invited, though its government was not yet recognized by France, while Germany was not. The United States declined to participate; the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Herbert Hoover, explained that there was no modern art in the United States. The U.S. Commerce Department did appoint a commission to attend the exhibit and issue a report. The report, which came out in 1926, stated that the U.S had clearly misunderstood the purpose of the exposition, and that at least some participation should have been arranged to honor the French-American wartime alliance. While the U.S. did not have a pavilion, hundreds of American designers, artists, journalists and department store buyers came to Paris to see the exposition.
The site
The site chosen for the exposition was the center of Paris, around the Grand Palais, the enormous glass and iron pavilion which had been built for the 1900 Universal Exposition. The principal architect was Charles Plumet. The main entrance, called the Gate of Honor, was located next to the Grand Palais. The main axis stretched from the Gate of Honor across the Pont Alexandre III to Les Invalides with pavilions on both banks, while gardens and fountains were placed between the pavilions. The Pont Alexander III, which connected the two parts of the exposition, was turned into a modernist shopping mall by the architect Maurice Dufrêne. The banks of the Seine were lined with floating restaurants built for the exposition, which became a popular attraction.
There were thirteen gateways into the exposition, which were each designed by a different architect. The main entrance was at the Place de la Concorde, designed by architect Pierre Patout, with a statue of a woman in the center called "Welcome" by Louis Dejean. The pavilions of the major French stores and decorators were located on the main axis within the entrance. Another section was devoted to pavilions from designers from the French provinces, particularly from Nancy and Lyon. Another section was devoted to foreign pavilions and manufacturers, and another to the products of French colonies which could be used in decoration, particularly rare woods and products such as ivory and mother of pearl.
The tallest structure in the exposition, and one of the most modernist, was the tower of the Tourism Pavilion by Robert Mallet-Stevens. The tower's sleek lines and lack of ornament were an announcement of the international style that would replace Art Deco. In 1929 Mallet-Stevens led the creation of The French Union of Modern Artists which rebelled against the luxurious decorative styles shown at the exposition, and, along with Le Corbusier, demanded architecture without ornament, built with inexpensive and mass-produced materials.
Pavilions of the French designers
Just inside the main entrance of the exposition on the Place de la Concorde was the main promenade of the exposition, with the pavilions of the major French department stores and manufacturers of luxury furniture, porcelain, glassware and textiles. Each pavilion was designed by a different architect, and they tried to outdo each other with colorful entrances, sculptural friezes, and murals of ceramics and metal. The modernist tower of the Pavilion of Tourism designed by Robert Mallet-Stevens stood out above the other pavilions. Inside each pavilion presented rooms with ensembles of furniture, carpets, paintings and other decorative objects.
Many of the exhibits were shown inside the Grand Palais, the enormous hall which had been built for the 1900 Universal Exposition. For the first time at an international exposition, pieces of furniture were displayed not as individual items but in rooms similar to those in a home, where all the decor was coordinated. The Hôtel du Collectionneur, for example, displayed the works of the furniture maker Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, in rooms complete with paintings and fireplaces in the same modern style.
The most unusual, most modest, and, in the end, probably the most influential French pavilion was that of the magazine L'Esprit Nouveau, directed by Amédée Ozenfant and Le Corbusier. They had founded the Purist movement 1918, with the goal of eliminating all decoration in architecture, and replacing hand-made furniture with machine-made furniture. They founded L'Esprit Nouveau in 1920, and used it vigorously to attack traditional decorative arts. "Decorative art," Le Corbusier wrote, "as opposed to the machine phenomenon, is the final twitch of the old manual mode, and is a dying thing. Our pavilion will contain only standard things created by industry in factories and mass-produced, truly the objects of today." The Esprit Nouveau pavilion was almost hidden between two wings of the Grand Palais. It was made of concrete, steel and glass, with no ornament at all. The interiors had plain white walls with a few cubist paintings. Since trees on the site could not be cut down, Le Corbusier integrated a tree into the interior of the building, coming up through a hole in the roof. The furniture was simple, machine-made and mass-produced. The organizers of the exposition were horrified by the appearance of the building, and tried to hide it by building a fence. However, Le Corbusier appealed to the Ministry of Fine Arts, which sponsored the exhibition, and the fence was removed.
Within the pavilion building Le Corbusier exhibited his Plan Voisin for Paris. The Plan Voisin, named for aviation pioneer Gabriel Voisin, proposed the construction of a series of identical skyscrapers and lower rectangular apartments, that would replace the historic buildings on the right bank of the Seine in Paris. He had no expectation that central Paris would be demolished and his plan carried out; it was simply a way to attract attention to his ideas.Anthony Sutcliffe, Paris: An Architectural History, Yale University Press, 1993, Page 143, The pavilion represented a single modular apartment, representing the identical machine-made houses which Le Corbusier believed were the future of modern architecture.Christopher Green, Art in France, 1900-1940, Yale University Press, 2000,
Foreign pavilions
Some twenty countries participated in the exhibit. Germany was not invited because of its role in World War I, but Austria and Hungary were invited, as was the new Soviet Union, though it was not yet officially recognized by France. Many countries had exhibits of furniture and decoration within the Grand Palais, and also built pavilions to illustrate new ideas in architecture. Britain, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands all had substantial pavilions, as did the Scandinavian countries, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. Japan had an important pavilion, while China had only a modest representation. The United States, not entirely understanding the purpose of the exhibit, chose not to participate.
Austria was a major participant, thanks to the work of Josef Hoffmann, who designed the Austrian pavilion next to the Seine. The complex included a terrace by the Seine, a tower, a cubic glass and iron exhibit hall by Peter Behrens, and a brightly decorated cafe. The pavilion contained works of sculpture by the modernists Anton Hanak and Eugen Steinhof.
Belgium was also a major participant; the country had a large exposition of furniture and design on the main floor of the Grand Palais, and a separate pavilion, designed by Victor Horta, the pioneer of Art Nouveau architecture. Belgium had been left in ruins by the War, and the Belgian exhibit had a low budget; the pavilion was made of wood, plaster and other low-cost materials. Horta's pavilion had a rectangular tower, crowned with six statues by Wolfers, representing decorative arts through the ages. The interior displayed tapestries, glass and decoration in the new style. Belgian artists taking part included the architects Paul Hamesse, Henry van de Velde, Flor Van Reeth and Victor Bourgeois, the decorator Leon Sneyers and textile artist Elisabeth de Saedeleer.