If you need a good reason to come to the World Congress on Art Deco in Shanghai this November, we’re way ahead of you. We’ve got five:
1. Discover Chinese Art Deco
Chinese Art Deco: The Greater Shanghai Municipality City Hall, completed in 1933.
Come and discover Art Deco with Chinese characteristics. For a brief decade (1927-1937), this was the Chinese national style. Art Deco fused with classical Chinese architecture was a metaphor for the spirit of this age, when China was a new republic. Said Fortune magazine of the style: “East and West have at last met, and the startling architecture seems to indicate that they have met in wedlock.”
Want to know more? Read all about Shanghai’s Lost Chinese Art Deco City.
2. See Art Deco from Around the World
Russian architect Alexander Yaron’s Astrid Apartments.
Shanghai has the most international collection of Art Deco in the world. This cosmopolitan city drew architects from around the world, and they’ve left their landmarks on the streets of Shanghai. Architects from America, Britain, France, Hungary, Russia, Spain, and Chinese architects who studied in all those countries and more contributed to Shanghai’s plethora of Art Deco buildings.
International Art Deco architects who made their mark in Shanghai include: Frenchman Alexandre Leonard, Hungarian László Hudec, American Elliott Hazzard, Chinese-American Poy Gum Lee, Briton Tug Wilson, Russian Alexander Yaron, and many more.
3. “You Can’t Walk Down a Street in Shanghai without Seeing Art Deco”
A Shanghai Art Deco walking tour.
We’ll show you on the World Congress afternoon walks, as our guides take you through Shanghai’s traditional lanes and labyrinthine alleyways, down bustling streets and even Deco Echo in the sparkling new financial district. Art Deco is everywhere!
For a taste of one of our walks, watch our French Concession Art Deco Walking Tour video, here.
4. A Who’s Who of Shanghai Art Deco
Tess Johnston first brought Shanghai’s heritage architecture and Art Deco to the attention of the world in the 1980s.
We’ve gathered all the experts for you. Highlights include the inimitable Tess Johnston, who first brought Shanghai Art Deco to the attention of the world. Lynn Pan, the author of the seminal book on the art & design of the period, Shanghai Style and well versed in so many aspects of the period. Jennifer Wong, who will share her research on her grandfather, Liu Ji Piao, who represented China at the 1925 Paris Expo, the birthplace of Art Deco. Peter Hibbard, who literally wrote the book on the Peace Hotel (and another on the Bund), and Spencer Dodington, author of a book on the great French architect Paul Veyssyere. Film expert Linda Johnson will speak on Shanghai Art Deco film, and that’s just the beginning …
5. Deco Dining, Deco Partying
Dine in Shanghai’s Art Deco landmarks – on Art Deco era menus. We’re dining at the Cercle Sportif Français, where Art Deco arrived in Shanghai. In the beautiful ballroom of Shanghai’s Art Deco crown jewel, the Cathay Hotel, we’re sampling a menu inspired by one from their archives, from 1931. We’ll enjoy a Chinese banquet in the ballroom of the old Cercle Sportif Francais, where Art Deco first arrived in Shanghai, and classic period Shanghai dishes in a lovely old Shanghai mansion. We’ll have a night out on the town, with jazz at a local Deco speakeasy and so much more!
Bonus: Getting to experience one of the great 21st century cities through its great 20th century past.
So what are you waiting for? Book your World Congress tickets here.
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