definition
strict definition
art moderne
Related terms: streamline moderne
A streamlined architectural development of Art Deco, with smooth forms, rounded corners, and little applied ornament.
Pictured: In the Heart of the Beast Theatre
Art moderne is a highly streamlined form of a stylistic continuum beginning with art deco. Common features are long segmented windows, fins or cantilevered overhangs which emphasize the lines of a building, and rounded corners. Shapes are generally smooth, and ornament is minimal.
Approximate Dates: 1930-1940
The long windows, overhangs, and fins reinforce flowing lines across the building. The restrained ornament and smooth surfaces distinguish the streamlined treatment from more elaborately decorated variants of Art Deco.
art moderne Photos
Related definitions
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art deco
A style of the 1920s and 1930s featuring streamlined shapes and restricted ornamentation. -
art nouveau
An idiosyncratic style of the early 20th century based on naturalistic and highly imaginative forms and decoration. -
arts and crafts
Architecture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries which emphasizes the handmade or non-industrial features of its design. -
brutalist
Modern architecture using heavy and massive forms, preferring an appearance of strength to elegance. -
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A pre-modern style that emphasizes the simplicity and modular regularity of a building's skeletal framework. -
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Architecture which mixes a modernist vocabulary with an anti-rational flair. -
early modern
A transition between art moderne and standard modernism, often with traces of neoclassical features. -
expressionist
Architecture rooted in early 20th century Germany with bold simple forms and effusions of angular or organic lines. -
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Fantastic or unconventional architecture which relies on crafted ornamentation and non-standardized forms. -
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Jazzy and futuristic architecture of the 1950s and 1960s evoking the Space Age. -
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High modernism of the 1950s-1970s, characterized by simple forms and spacious interiors. -
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Architecture from the mid-20th century onwards, with simple forms suited to mass production of building materials. -
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Architecture influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright, with natural materials and broad horizontal lines. -
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structural expressionist
Architecture which gives the appearance of high technology by emphasizing its structural elements.