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Audio Guides
Art Deco 1910 - 1939

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Art Deco Introduction

Dr Gerard Vaughan, Director of the National Gallery of Victoria provides an introduction to the Art Deco movement and the origins of this collection.

Duration: 3 min

Image: NGV Staff Dr Gerard Vaughan, Director, NGV NGV Photographic Services

The Telephone II

Narrator Jerome Pride talks about the life and times of social celebrity Tamara De Lempicka and her hyper-real depiction of social figures.

Duration: 2 min

Image: Tamara De LEMPICKA The telephone II (Le Téléphone II) 1930 Wolfgang Joop Collection, London, © Tamara De Lempicka/ADAGP, Paris. Represented by VISCOPY, Australia

Sources - Ancient & Exotic

Learn how ancient civilizations such as Africa, Egypt, Rome, Greece, Japan and China, served as the point of departure and inspiration for many Art Deco designers.

Duration: 4 min

Image: EGYPT Head covering of Padihorpasheraset, Roman Period, 1st century – 2nd century AD National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Felton Bequest, 1995 (D144-1994)

Dressing Table and Chair

Here we discuss the career of designer Paul Follot and the influence of Art Deco in France.

Duration: 1 min

Image: Paul FOLLOT Dressing table and chair 1919–20 Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris

Henri Matisse

Here we learn about the collaboration between Henri Matisse and Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes.

Duration: 2 min

Image: Henri MATISSE 'Costume of a mourner' 1920, from 'The Ballets Russes' production of 'Le Chant du Rossignol' ('The Song of the Nightingale') 1920 Victoria and Albert Museum, London, accessioned, 1980 (S.750-1980) Image courtesy National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

Paris 1925 - International Exposition

The 1925 Paris Exposition Internationale of decorative arts and modern industries became the most significant event in what we now know as Art Deco.

Duration: 3 min

Image: Robert BONFILS 'International Exposition of Decorative Arts and Modern Industry, Paris 1925' ('Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, Paris 1925'), poster 1925 Victoria and Albert Museum, London, accessioned, 1925 (E.1200-1925) © V&A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Bureau de Dame

Here we discuss how Jacques Ruhlmann’s unique furniture designs became synonymous with elegance and grace.

Duration: 1 min

Image: Jacques-Émile RUHLMANN 'Lady's writing desk' ('Bureau de dame') (c.1920) National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, purchased with the assistance of Paula Fox, 2007 (2007.709)

Fashion

Art Deco fashion of the 1930’s instigated radical changes in the way women dressed - culminating in the widely adopted “garconne” look.

Duration: 2 min

Image: ITYLUS 'Evening coat' 1924-26 Victoria and Albert Museum, London, given by Mrs Hywell-Jones, 1979 (T.3-1979)

Eileen Gray

Eileen Gray was one of the most innovative designers of the 20th century. Her simple, restrained form is most evident in her screens and other oriental lacquer ware.

Duration: 2 min

Image: Eileen GRAY 'Screen' 1923 Victoria and Albert Museum, London, given in memory of Charles and Lavania Handley-Read, by their family, 1972 (W. 21-1972)

Sunray Vase

The abstract designs of ceramist Clarice Cliff were significant in the development of Art Deco style in England.

Duration: 2 min

Image: Clarice CLIFF 'Sunray, vase' (c.1929-30) Victoria and Albert Museum, London, accessioned, 1976 (C.74-1976) © V&A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Strand Palace Hotel

Listen to the extraordinary history of the sumptuous foyer of the Strand Palace Hotel.

Duration: 2 min

Image: Multimedia Strand Palace Hotel National Gallery of Victoria

Cocktail party

The cocktail party - Parties provided the social context for the vast collection of highly decorative cocktail paraphernalia and Art Deco objects.

Duration: 4 min

Image: Keith MURRAY 'Cocktail shaker' (c.1930) Victoria and Albert Museum, London, accessioned, 1984 (M.226-1984 - M.226-B-1984) © V&A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Travel, Transportation

The Poster became a widely used visual medium to promote international travel in an era characterised by rapid and modern modes of transportation.

Duration: 2 min

Image: Jean VIVIE Still from the film 'Normandie' 1938 Courtesy Lobster Films, Paris

Maori Whare & Tiki design

The mixture of local themes and motifs with international standard designs illustrates the development and transformation of the Art Deco style in New Zealand.

Duration: 2 min

Image: Audio Guides

Hollywood

The global success of Art Deco was indebted to the influence of Hollywood films.

Duration: 2 min

Image: - The Capitol Theatre, Swanston Street, Melbourne 1940s Courtesy Ian B. Williams

Cord Car

The Cord (Winchester 810/812) was a fusion of innovative design and machinery. Its streamlined design made it one of the most distinctive and iconic vehicles of the Art Deco era.

Duration: 2 min

Image: NGV Multimedia Cord 812 Westchester sedan 1937 © NGV Multimedia 2008

Manhattan skyline

The Manhattan skyline in New York illustrates the influence of European Art Deco style in America.

Duration: 3 min

Image: Michael SLONECKER Manhattan at dusk showing the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building © Michael Slonecker

Napier Waller

The monumental Napier Waller designed mosaic in Collins Street, Melbourne is considered to be a landmark in Art Deco Australian architecture.

Duration: 1 min

Image: Napier WALLER 'I'll put a girdle round about the earth' 1933 (detail) National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, purchased, 1979 (79.2149.A-C), © Napier Waller Estate

Wunderlich Showroom

Discover why Ernest Wunderlich was significant in the development of Art Deco design and interiors in Australia.

Duration: 2 min

Image: WUNDERLICH LIMITED 'Capital from the Wunderlich Showroom, Redfern' 1928-29 Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, gift of CSR Limited, 1980 (A7437-1/7)

The Home

Sydney’s Ure Smith played an important role in the development of Art Deco in Australia by introducing and promoting international modern trends and lifestyles through his magazine, The Home.

Duration: 2 min

Image: Adrian Feint, Hera Roberts, Ure Smith 'Cover of The Home: An Australian quarterly', vol. 9, no. 10, October 1928 National Gallery of Australia, Research Library, Canberra

Australian Architecture

Art Deco Architecture from around the world dramatically transformed the experience of Australian cities, especially Melbourne and Sydney.

Duration: 3 min

Image: David Thompson Manchester Unity Building, Swanston Street, Melbourne © David Thompson