Example 16: The Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (Poster)

Bonfils, Robert. The Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes. (1925). Poster/Lithograph on wove paper. Paris, France. Metropolis Magazine, https://metropolismag.com/viewpoints/exhibition-started-international-style-art-deco/

"The International Exposition of Decorative Arts and Modern Industries" in Paris, 1925 which was discussed in the previous example expressed the architecture of the Fair and how Art Deco took off internationally. However, a large part of the event was from advertising and designer, Robert Bonfils, took on the task of creating the poster for the World Fair. When first looking at the design it gives off a more arts and crafts type of look, but what sets it apart is the use of geometric shaping from the typography to the lines used throughout the image that created something classic but also ornamentation that was created to be mass-produced. This design is different from other Art Deco designs from the use of lots of negative space and creating with only a couple duller colors, red and black. The work is also Art Nouveau inspired but was the first design to really showcase the vocabulary of Art Deco and also set up future poster designs that fit the Art Deco style. I think this is an important example similar to the architecture of the Exposition in that it's important to know the starting point and how the art style has changed within the future from different regions in the 1920s and 1930s but also how different mediums and years gone by have changed and modernized the style.