Art Deco books: the librarians' selection

To celebrate the centenary of the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, L'ÉCOLE's librarians have compiled a bibliography listing various publications on Art Deco.

Located on the prestigious first floor of the Hôtel Mercy-Argenteau, the library at L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts houses over six thousand works (coffee table books; exhibition catalogs; essays; literature including novels, comics and mangas; academic works including theses and dissertations; auction catalogs and special-interest magazines and journals) on gemology, the history of jewelry, art history and savoir-faire, available for perusal on site. The library also houses a heritage collection (ancient books, university theses and iconographic documents) that can be perused upon request. Most of these works can be consulted in the library’s three reading rooms. 

We are pleased to present an overview of three works from the Art Deco selection compiled by L'ÉCOLE's librarians.

Rapport général

Rapport général : exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes, Paris 1925. Vol IX, Parure.

Paul Léon

Librairie Larousse, 1927

Part of the library's heritage collection, this publication documents the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts and is a key primary source for understanding the event. Volume IX is devoted to finery and covers the areas of clothing, clothing accessories, perfumery and jewelry. With twenty-two plates illustrating creations by jewelers such as Fouquet, Lacloche, Templier, Van Cleef & Arpels and many more, this book provides excellent examples of the jewelry pieces exhibited at the event.

Art déco : France Chine

Art déco : France Chine

Emmanuel Bréon

AAM Éditions, 2022

This book focuses on the artistic and cultural exchanges between France and China during the Art Deco period, a dialog that enriched both cultures and which remains largely unexplored.

Bijoux Art déco et avant-garde

Bijoux Art déco et avant-garde

Laurence Mouillefarine & Evelyne Possémé

Les Arts Décoratifs / Norma, 2009

A catalog of the "Bijoux Art déco et avant-garde. Jean Després et les bijoutiers modernes" exhibition, which was presented at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 2009 and at the Bard Graduate Center in New York in 2010, this book analyzes the Art Deco jewelry and avant-garde creations from the leading French designers of the era (Belperron, Boivin, Cartier, Després, Templier, Van Cleef & Arpels, etc.), placing them in a broader context of artistic and social innovation.

Other Art Deco books

  • Bonzon, Gaël. Jean Dunand : une fascination pour l'Asie. - Musée d'Art et d'Histoire, 2020. S 410 BON
  • Bréon, Emmanuel. 1925, quand l'Art déco séduit le monde : [exposition, Paris, Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine, 16 octobre 2013-17 février 2014]. - Editions Norma, 2013. H 143 BRE
  • Duncan, Alastair. L'Art Déco : encyclopédie des arts décoratifs des années vingt et trente. - Citadelles & Mazenod, 2021. HA 200 DUN
  • Duncan, Alastair. Le style Art déco : grands créateurs et collectionneurs. - Citadelles & Mazenod, 2024. HA 200 DUN
  • Gabardi, Melissa. Jean Després : bijoutier et orfèvre entre Art déco et modernité. - Les Arts Décoratifs, 2009. H 300 (DES) GAB
  • Glorieux, Guillaume. Objets précieux Art déco : une collection du prince et la princesse Sadruddin Aga Khan : [exposition, Paris, L'École des Arts Joailliers, 04 avril 2018-25 avril 2018]. - L'École des Arts Joailliers, 2018. H 143 GLO
  • Humbert, Jean-Marcel. Art déco : égyptomanie. - Editions Norma, 2022. H 143 HUM
  • Jarrassé, Dominique. Exotic modern : French Art deco and inspiration from afar : [exhibition, Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, 6 October 2018 - 14 January 2019 ; Tatebayashi, Gunma Museum of Art, 22 January - 31 March, 2019]. - Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, 2018. H 143 JAR
  • Papieau, Isabelle. L'art déco : une esthétique émancipatrice. - L'Harmattan, 2009. H 143 PAP
  • Perfettini, Jean. Le Galuchat : un matériaux mystérieux une technique oubliée. - Editions Vial, 2016. S 400 PER
  • Possémé, Evelyne. Jeweled splendours of the Art Deco era : the Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan collection : [exhibition, New York, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, April 7-August 20, 2017]. - Thames and Hudson, 2017. H 143 POS
  • Sanchez, Léopold Diego. Paul Follot – Un artiste décorateur parisien. - AAM Editions, 2020. HA 200 SAN
  • Weber, Christianne. Art Déco schmuck = Art Déco jewelry : Jakob Bengel, Idar-Oberstein. - Arnoldsche Art Publishers, 2002. H 143 WEB

L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts celebrates Art Deco

To celebrate the centenary of the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, L'ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts is pleased to present a rich program highlighting the Art Deco movement in jewelry across all its activities.

Discover more