George Barbier : The birth of Art Déco

Exhibition on the life and work of George Barbier artist and fashion illustrator, theatre designer and protagonist of the Art deco movement, at the Museo Fortuny in Venice.

One of those exhibitions that you look at and think “Oh how twee” and derivative because you’d collected illustrations like this in the 70s but then you realised this is the man who invented this style so he is ground breaking. Here was someone who set the style for a generation.

The exhibition was arranged in themes looking at his theatrical work, cinema work and fashion and book illustration. The theatre designs were wonderfully silly and grand but I think the fashion illustrations were my favourite.

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