PARIS BETWEEN THE WARS 1919-1939
VINCENT BOUVET & G. DUROZOI Book Number: 78674 Product format: Hardback
The bohemian atmosphere of Montparnasse, with its cafés, bars and studios was a hub of creative energy in the interwar years in Parisian art, life and culture. Revolutionary movement such as Cubism, Surrealism and Dadaism turned Paris into the home of the artistic Avant-garde, and Picasso and Matisse were just two of the leading lights that included Chagall, Giacometti, Léger, Miró and Calder. The presence of Mondrian and Kandinsky made the city a capital of Abstract art too. In literary circles Gide, Valéry and Malraux were at the forefront of French thought and writers who found inspiration there included F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. The International Exhibition of 1925 was a landmark event, showcasing architecture, furniture, jewellery and graphic design and Art Deco and modernist designers embraced the beauty of technology, machinery and all that contemporary life had to offer. It was a golden age for haute couture too with the houses of Chanel, Lanvin and Schiaparelli dressing the emancipated women in Paris's glittering social scene. The exotic pleasures of the city's nightlife were embodied by Josephine Baker. The Great Depression of the 30s saw the end to these carefree days and political and social turmoil were reflected in works such as Picasso's Guernica, films and photography. A vibrant kaleidoscope of the City of Light at its peak told in a heavyweight picture book, 416pp. The French publisher has used heavyweight glossy paper and the thousands of beautiful examples in colour and mono, Art Deco watercolours of interiors, rare archive photos, costume parties and the café scene, advertising posters of famous stars to swimming in the Seine.
Published price: £32.95
Bibliophile price: £12.00
