[THE JAPANESE RECEPTION OF PARISIAN ART DÉCO] Pari bankoku kōgei bijutsu hakurankai [Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes de Paris]. 2 volumes (all published).

Tokyo: Kōyōsha, 1925. Quartos (26 × 19.3 cm). Original string-bound printed cardboard folders; each housing 1 leaf and 20 plates with reproductions featuring photographs of the pavilions and decorative arts objects. Occasional minor staining; else good or better. Item #54890

Japanese catalog of the important international decorative arts exhibition in Paris, which gave its name to the “Art Déco” style. The only non-European exhibitors were Japan and China; Germany and the USA were not represented. The exhibition grounds were located in the center of Paris, partly using the area of the 1900 World's Fair. Charles Plumet was responsible for the overall architectural direction. Almost 16 million people visited the exhibition during its six-month run. In contrast to the functional tendencies of the 1920s, most of the pavilions were dominated by a decorative, ornamental design language. The French art and luxury industry was mainly represented. While the Bauhaus, for example, which had just moved to Dessau, and Dutch and Soviet Constructivism were looking for forms and materials that seemed appropriate for the age of the machine, the Paris exhibition was dominated by the opulence of decorative elements borrowed from both Cubism and Classicism, and the display of precious materials such as velvet, silk, exotic woods, marble, porcelain, etc. A characteristic feature of the presentation was that the modern department store was the main point of reference. Nevertheless, there were also decisive counterpoints to this aesthetic, such as the Pavilion of the Soviet Union and the Pavilion de l'Esprit Nouveau. Le Corbusier designed this pavilion as a kind of public critique of the Paris exhibition. (Cf. Arne Sildatke, Dekorative Moderne: Das Art Déco in der Raumkunst der Weimarer Republik, Berlin 2013, pp. 56–66)

Published as nos. 76 and 77 of the series "Kinsei Kenchiku" (Modern Architecture).

As of January 2026, OCLC lists no copies in North America and three copies worldwide.

Price: €1,250.00

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