Art Déco united luxury, technology and geometric forms in one of the most striking languages of the 20th century traduzido por: OPENROUTER
Submitted at Aug 31, 2026, 2:00 PM
(Divulgação/Divulgação)
Art Déco transformed architecture into a celebration of modernity. Emerging in the early 20th century and boosted internationally by the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, held in Paris in 1925, the style combined geometry, symmetry, sophisticated materials, and a strong appreciation for technological advances. In a short time, its visual codes crossed borders and began to appear in skyscrapers, theaters, hotels, public buildings, and even factories.
Between the 1920s and 1930s, the movement gained very different interpretations depending on each city. In New York, it became synonymous with vertical skyscrapers and monumental crowns. In Paris, it appeared associated with decorative arts and monumentality. In London, it gained more aerodynamic versions, while in other parts of the world it incorporated local cultural and material references. The result is a collection of buildings that, almost a century later, remain recognizable for their personality and visual impact.
Below, discover 12 buildings that help understand the strength of Art Déco in architecture around the world.
Ícone máximo do art déco, o Chrysler Building traduz em linhas metálicas e formas geométricas a elegância e o otimismo da Nova York dos anos 1930. (Curbed NY/Divulgação)
Few buildings translate the imagery of Art Déco as well as the Chrysler Building. Inaugurated in 1930 and designed by architect William Van Alen, the skyscraper was conceived for the Chrysler Corporation and quickly became one of the great architectural symbols of New York.
The most striking element is at the top: a stepped crown clad in stainless steel, formed by arches that overlap in a geometric composition. The design also incorporates references to the automotive universe, including ornaments inspired by the details of Chrysler automobiles.
The relationship between architecture and speed is especially important to understanding the spirit of the period. The building did not seek only to be tall: it wanted to represent an era fascinated by machines, industry, movement, and progress. Even the facade details help build this narrative, transforming technology into ornamentation.
Empire State Building, Nova York (Divulgação/Divulgação)
Also in Manhattan, the Empire State Building is another of the great representatives of Art Déco. Completed in 1931, the project by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon presents a more sober composition than that of the Chrysler Building, but equally marked by geometry and verticality.
Its stepped volumetry was influenced by New York's urban planning rules, which required setbacks as buildings gained height. The result was a silhouette that became characteristic of Art Déco skyscrapers: a more robust base that leads the eye toward an increasingly slender body.
On the exterior, vertical lines reinforce the sense of height, while the metallic and geometric details appear more discreetly. It is precisely this combination of ornamentation and rationality that makes the building a reference of the period.
The Guardian Building, Detroit (Islands/Divulgação)
Detroit also holds one of the masterpieces of the movement. The Guardian Building, inaugurated in 1929, was designed by Wirt C. Rowland and is recognized as one of the most expressive examples of Art Déco in the United States.
If the facade impresses, it is inside that the project reveals all its exuberance. Mosaics, geometric patterns, intense colors, and decorative elements transform the interior spaces into a kind of manifesto of the style.
The building is also interesting because it shows how Art Déco did not depend only on skyscrapers to express itself. The language could appear in coverings, furniture, floor designs, and ornamental compositions, creating an architecture in which different artistic disciplines worked together.
Palais de la Porte Dorée, Paris (Divulgação)
In Paris, the Palais de la Porte Dorée is considered a true example of French Art Deco. Built between 1929 and 1931 for the 1931 Colonial Exhibition, the building was designed by architect Albert Laprade and combines monumentality, symmetry, and geometric lines.
Its facade features an extensive colonnade and a monumental bas-relief that covers more than a thousand square meters. Inside, the language continues in murals, furniture, sculptures, and other decorative elements.
The building also helps us understand a more complex historical dimension of Art Deco. The decoration was produced within the context of the French colonial exhibitions, incorporating representations of peoples, landscapes, plants, and animals of the colonized territories. For this reason, in addition to its architectural importance, the palace is also today an object of reflection on French colonial history and ideology.
Daily Express Building, Manchester (Divulgação)
Another British example is in Manchester. The former Daily Express Building is one of the constructions that best represents the more modern and aerodynamic strand of English Art Deco.
Its facade uses large glazed surfaces and horizontal lines, creating an appearance associated with speed and technology. The building is part of a phase of the movement in which ornamentation began to be simplified and replaced by an aesthetic closer to the so-called Streamline Moderne.
The construction shows how Art Deco was not a static style. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, its forms were transformed, moving from highly ornate compositions to cleaner projects, horizontal and inspired by the idea of movement.
Eastern Columbia Building, Los Angeles. (Jordan Rubin/Divulgação)
In Los Angeles, the Eastern Columbia Building proves that Art Deco could also explore a highly expressive color palette. Inaugurated in 1930, the building is known for its facade in a turquoise tone combined with golden details.
The chromatic contrast makes the building stand out immediately in the urban landscape. The composition includes geometric forms, vertical elements, and a large central ornamentation, characteristics that help identify the Art Deco language.
Unlike the chromatic sobriety of some New York skyscrapers, the Californian building bets on visual impact. It is a good representation of how the style was adapted to the cultural climate of Los Angeles, a city associated with cinema, entertainment, and the glamour of Hollywood.
Palacio Barolo, Buenos Aires. (Divulgação)
Buenos Aires also has one of the most curious buildings associated with the Art Deco repertoire: the Palacio Barolo. Located on Avenida de Mayo, the building was inaugurated in 1923 and designed by architect Mario Palanti.
Its inspiration combines diverse architectural references and a complex symbology related to Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. The tower, the different levels, and the vertical composition create a monumental presence in the landscape of the Argentine capital.
The Palacio Barolo is particularly interesting because it shows how Art Deco could dialogue with other architectural traditions. Instead of following a single formula, the movement allowed for the mixing of historical references, symbolisms, geometry, and new technologies in a single construction. The result is a building that seems simultaneously ancient and modern — a recurring characteristic in the architecture of the first decades of the 20th century.
(Divulgação)
In Havana, the Bacardi Building is one of the main references of Latin American Art Deco architecture. Built in the late 1920s, the building was designed as the headquarters of the Bacardi beverage company and stands out for its vertical composition and rich decoration.
The tower combines geometry, fine materials and ornamentation, while the interior features a series of decorative elements that reinforce the sophisticated atmosphere of the period. The building also shows how Art Deco found fertile ground in cities undergoing rapid modernization processes.
CASACOR Publisher is an exclusive content-creating agent, developed by CASACOR's Technology team based on the knowledge base of casacor.com.br. This text was edited by Yeska Coelho.
traduzido por: OPENROUTER
