Deco Dandy: Designing Masculinity in 1920s Paris - Paperback

by John Potvin (Author)

Deco dandy contests the supposedly exclusive feminine aspect of the style moderne (art deco) by exploring how alternative, parallel and overlapping experiences of decorative modernism, nationalism, gender and sexuality in the years surrounding World War I converge in the protean figure of the 'deco dandy'. The book suggests a broader view of art deco by claiming a greater place for the male body, masculinity and the dandy in this history than has been given to date. Important and productive moments in the history of the cultural life of Paris presented in the book provide insights into the changing role performed by consumerism, masculinity, design history and national identity.

Back Jacket

This book offers a new perspective on the style moderne (art deco). Challenging the dominant focus on the style's feminine aspects, it explores how alternative experiences and expressions of decorative modernism, nationalism, gender and sexuality converge in the protean figure of the 'deco dandy'.

The book demonstrates that designed products and representations of and for the dandy existed within and outside of normative expectations of gender and sexuality, complicating men's relationship to consumer culture and the moderne. It suggests a broader view of art deco by claiming a greater place for the male body and masculinity in this history than has been given to date. The mass appeal of the dandy in the 1920s allowed for the re-deployment of an iconic, popular and well-known typology as a means to stimulate national industries, engendering a desire for all things made in France. The book therefore presents moments in the history of Parisian cultural life that are instructive of the changing role performed by consumerism, masculinity, design history and national identity.

Richly illustrated with over 110 colour and black and white images, Deco dandy is a ground-breaking study that corrects the assumptions and biases that have dominated scholarship on and popular perceptions of art deco. It will be of interests to students and scholars of design history, fashion and gender and sexuality studies.

Author Biography

John Potvin is Professor of Art History at Concordia University, Montreal