Short for Art Deco, a decorative art style of the 1920s-1930s characterized by geometric patterns, bold colors, and luxurious materials. Any decoration in this style.
Shortened from French 'Art Décoratif' (decorative art), from the 1925 'Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs' in Paris. The full term 'Art Deco' wasn't coined until the 1960s revival of interest in the style.
Art Deco represented the machine age's optimism - everything from skyscrapers to toasters got those streamlined, geometric designs that screamed 'modern.' Ironically, the term 'Art Deco' wasn't used during the actual Art Deco period; people then just called it 'modern style.'
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