art deco

or Art Deco


noun

a style of decorative art developed originally in the 1920s with a revival in the 1960s, marked chiefly by geometric motifs, curvilinear forms, sharply defined outlines, often bold colors, and the use of synthetic materials, as plastics.
Also called deco, Deco.

Origin of art deco

1965–70; < French Art Déco, shortened from Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, an exposition of modern decorative and industrial arts held in Paris, France, in 1925

Example sentences from the Web for art deco

  • It is art-deco beachy in parts, and inner-city seedy in other areas, ultimately giving it a poor man's Miami feel.

    Gal With a Suitcase |Jolie Hunt |July 10, 2010 |DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for art deco

Art Deco
/ (ˈdɛkəʊ) /

noun

  1. a style of interior decoration, jewellery, architecture, etc, at its height in the 1930s and characterized by geometrical shapes, stylized natural forms, and symmetrical utilitarian designs adapted to mass production
  2. (as modifier)an Art-Deco carpet

Word Origin for Art Deco

C20: shortened from art décoratif, after the Exposition des arts décoratifs held in Paris in 1925