cover image Art Deco Sculpture

Art Deco Sculpture

Victor Arwas. St. Martin's Press, $75 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-312-08345-8

Dismissed by some as bourgeois kitsch, art deco bronze and ivory figurines of the 1920s and '30s are prized by collectors as a precious link to an era. The exotically dressed dancers of the Rumanian-born Parisian sculptor Dimitri Chiparus, the proud, leather-clad Amazons of the Austrian Bruno Zach, German artist Ferdinand Preiss's wholesome, sporty types and the outrageously theatrical, futuristic figures of the sculptors Gerdago and Gustav Schmidtassel are highlighted in this alphabetically organized survey featuring 70 artists. In an introductory essay, London gallery owner Arwas ( Art Deco ) points to a host of influences, from the Ballets Russe and the Bauhaus to the popularization of cubism and Brancusi's experiments in simplified form. Archival photographs mingle with fresh reproductions of works from private collections in this captivating volume. (Apr.)