Author(s): Alberto Shayo

Art

It is a vast world one enters when writing on the statuettes of the Art Deco era: both in terms of the number of artists that contributed to it, and the number of figures they created. This book studies the influences that shaped these artists' work - namely, the growth of the Ballets Russes under the aegis of Sergei Diaghilev; the fascination in all things Egyptian that followed the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1924; and the Music Hall, with all of its venues, its stars and its glamour. Paris was a magnet for aspiring artists. An unrivalled destination for free-spending tourists, its popularity dwelt in the city's inexpensiveness, considering the absence of the dollar and the falling value of the franc. A thorough look at its artists and their work can only emerge from long investigation.