The Art Deco Society of New York (ADSNY) leads the global celebration of the 100th anniversary of one of the 20th Century’s most influential design movements. The Art Deco Centennial commemorates the enduring legacy of this bold, innovative aesthetic, first introduced at the 1925 Paris Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes. From its debut to today, Art Deco profoundly shaped New York City’s iconic skyline and cultural identity.
ADSNY, a non-profit organization founded in 1980, advocates for the appreciation, understanding, celebration, documentation, and preservation of Art Deco architecture, design, and culture in New York City and around the world.
ADSNY’s year-long celebration includes tours, talks, exhibitions, school programs, and special events, including a four-day immersive spring weekend highlighting the Art Deco architecture and design that continues to define New York.
Art Deco gained global popularity in the 1920s. From New York’s Deco architectural treasures––the Chrysler Building, Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall––to graphic arts, fashion, interior design, jewelry, music, and motion pictures, the City’s monumental contribution to Art Deco was transformational.
The clean lines, luxurious materials, geometric motifs, curvilinear streamlined forms, sharply defined outlines, and bold use of color quickly became synonymous with New York’s modernity and sophistication, making Art Deco the ideal style for the booming metropolis.
Upcoming Events
Brunch at Chez Josephine
Sunday, February 23, noon to 3:00 PM
In-person event
Deco enthusiasts step back in time for a champagne brunch at New York’s legendary Chez Josephine. Founded in 1986 by Jean-Claude Baker, Josephine Baker’s adopted son, Chez Josephine is a tribute to the legendary entertainer. We will enjoy live piano music in an intimate private room offering a unique Parisian setting with its blue-tin ceiling, red velvet walls, and cavalcade of chandeliers.
Selling Good Design: The Influence of French Art Deco in America’s Interiors
Tuesday, March 11, 2025 6:30PM to 8:00PM EST
In-person and virtual event on Zoom
ADSNY presents an illustrated lecture about the influence of French Art Deco on designers throughout the United States after the 1925 Paris Exposition. Marilyn F. Friedman, a design and decorative arts historian, will explore how concepts from the exposition were presented to the American public by museums, department stores, and designers’ organizations.
Deco Treasures at the Met
Saturday, March 22, 2025 6:30PM to 8:00PM
Virtual event on Zoom
Holly Phillips, senior collections manager for acquisitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, presents a selection of seldom-seen Art Deco treasures from the Met’s Watson Library. We’ll see catalogues associated with the Paris 1925 Exposition including copies of Les Arts décoratifs modernes, rare trade publications related to the exposition, catalogs by manufacturers including Lalique, Ruhlmann, Brandt and Sèvres, and other Art Deco texts on architecture, jewelry, interior design and American publishers’ bindings.
Additional events will be announced throughout the year. Learn more about ADSNY and the year-long celebration of 100 years of Art Deco at www.artdeco.org