Famous Art Deco Paintings

The Art Deco artistic style was at its peak during the 1920s and 1930s. Artwork featured geometric and streamline forms, bright colors, and a certain touch of sophistication and glamour.

Art Deco stood for the glamour, the luxury, and the strong faith in technological process in the year after WW I. It went through many disciplines such as graphic art, set design, costumes, fashion, jewelry, sculpture, and architecture.

Autoportrait (Tamara in a Green Bugatti) 1929 Tamara de Lempicka

Polish artist Tamara De Lempicka was commissioned by Die Dame, a German fashion magazine to create something celebrating the independence and strength of women. The artist was known for her art deco portraits of wealthy people and aristocrats.

This artwork depicts De Lempicka driving a green Bugatti race car. She is seen wearing leather gloves, a matching helmet, and a white-gray scarf. The scarf appears to move with a strong wind caused by driving the car. This painting became an icon of modern and liberated women. The geometric composition was influenced by Cubism.

Young Lady With Gloves 1930 Tamara de Lempicka

Polish artist Tamara de Lempicka created this art deco portrait featuring a fashionable wealthy woman wearing a green silk dress, matching white gloves and hat, and red lipstick. It is typical of the art style with bold, bright colors, clean lines, and the sensuality of the female figure portrayed.

Portrait of Ira Perrot 1930 Tamara de Lempicka

Polish artist Tamara de Lempicka created this portrait of a close friend and lover, Ira Perrot. Her lover is seen wearing a white satin dress and leaning against the right edge of the painting. Ira is holding a bouquet of white lilies which are a symbol of purity and love. The contrast of light and shadow in her face reveal the influence of Cubism while the sensuality and high contrast colors and angular style reflect art deco.

Le miroir rouge / The Red Mirror 1913 Georges Lepape

French poster artist, illustrator, and fashion designer Georges Lepape created artwork influenced by aesthetics and taste from all around the globe particularly Japanese art, Persian miniatures, and Ballet Russes. This painting is an art deco portrait of a Japanese woman resembling the Japanese Noh mask. The woman is looking into a mirror. She has pink fingernails and lipstick, three rings, and earrings.

L’Entracte 1912 Georges Lepape

French artist Georges Lepape created this intriguing art deco portrait. It depicts a woman standing in a theater during the "entracte" (the interval between two acts of a play or the opera). Fluid lines and bold, bright colors make an interesting composition.

Victoire 1928 René Lalique

French designer Rene Lalique created Victoire as a car glass mascot. It represents a female facing a strong wind, her hair blown behind her resembles wings, and her face is jutting forward. This sculpture reflects the exciting sensation of speed. The use of glass reinforces this art object to be a decadent and rare purchase only the wealthy could afford.

Costume for the Firebird 1913 Léon Baskt

Russian artist Leon Baskt was one of the most important costume designs of the first decades of the 1900s. This is the costume design for the ballet Firebird represented in vibrant colors. The geometric form, exotic imagery, and bold composition are all elements of art deco. The artwork shows a female dancer in a yellow costume with decorative motifs and stylized figures like birds and flowers.

American Progress 1937 Jose Maria Sert

Catalan Spanish muralist Jose Maria Sert was commissioned by the Rockefeller family to paint a mural for the lobby of their center. This painting is a perfect examples of art deco mixing the classical with the modern. It features historical American figures.

Study from the Chariot of Poseidon Mural for the SS Normandie 1935 Jean Dupas

French artist Jean Dupas created one of the greatest art deco artworks. It is a mural design for the Grand Salon of the SS Normandie, one of the most luxurious ocean liners. His technique consisted in painting on the reverse side of plate-glass panels in black and various pastel colors. The using gold and silver on top of the paint and finally affixing a canvas in the back.

Normandie 1935 Cassandre

French artist Adolphe Jean-Marie Mouron used the pseudonym Cassandre. He created one of the most iconic posters advertising the Normandie ocean liner. It clearly depicts the streamlined elegance of the ship.

Nord Express 1927 Cassandre

French artist Cassandre created this artwork to represent the modernism of the train. The viewer is placed below the track to admire the power and speed of the train. There is good use of the sleek, geometric, and stylized art deco style.

Mariage d'Amour 1927 Romain de Ritoff

Russian-French artist Romain de Ritoff is considered to be the Father of Art Deco. He was known for creating illustrations for the cover of the magazine Harper's Bazaar. This cover depicts a mysterious female figure in a large and richly decorated dress. The artist got his inspiration from the imagery of Persian miniatures as well as Chinese and Japanese art.

Tipsy 1930 Kobayakawa Kiyoshi

Japanese artist Kobayakawa Kiyoshi depicts a modern woman with red lipstick, tipsy eyes, holding a cigarette and a cocktail in front of her. This painting shows the lifestyle of an