Alastair Duncan – författare

Straddling two World Wars and the Great Depression, ushering in the Jazz Age and the era of the automobile and skyscraper, fomenting in the great cities of Europe and America and shaping everything from the Golden Gate Bridge to the humble desk lamp, the story of Art Deco is the story of our modern world. In this book, the most comprehensive account of the decorative arts of the Art Deco period ever assembled, Alastair Duncan celebrates the style’s rich variety of form and its diverse international roots as the very factors that make it a perennial favourite of modern collectors and designers. Sumptuously illustrated and written by one of the world’s leading experts, Art Deco Complete will be the definitive work on the subject for many years to come.

The most comprehensive account of the decorative arts of the Art Deco period ever assembled. Straddling two World Wars and the Great Depression, ushering in the Jazz Age and the era of the automobile and skyscraper, fomenting in the great cities of Europe and America and shaping everything from the Golden Gate Bridge to the humble desk lamp, the story of Art Deco is the story of our modern world. In this book, the most comprehensive account of the decorative arts of the Art Deco period ever assembled, Alastair Duncan celebrates the style’s rich variety of form and its diverse international roots as the very factors that make it a perennial favourite of modern collectors and designers. Sumptuously illustrated and written by one of the world’s leading experts, Art Deco Complete is the definitive work on the subject.

This grand opus assembles the people and the pieces at the heart of the Art Deco movement at each stage of its enduring appeal. The Art Deco Style is richly illustrated with the work of legendary designers and decorators Eileen Gray, Paul Iribe, Antoine Bourdelle, Armand-Albert Rateau and Jean Dunand, among others.   Ever since its early 20th-century origins, Art Deco has fascinated and amused socialites, collectors and designers. Referred to at the time as moderne, the style largely took shape around a clientele of French fashion industry luminaries and wealthy international collectors. Art historians christened it during a second wave in the ’60s, while a third generation of afficionados entered the auction houses of the ’80s and ’90s, ready to invest in the most exquisite examples. Curated by art consultant and author Alastair Duncan, this detailed historical account is the gold-standard visual guide to the decorative arts.

Emille Gallé was one of the great names of the Art Nouveau movement in France, and founder of the famous École de Nancy. A polymath and committed social activist, he was best known for his glasswork and faience. Furniture became his third discipline after experimenting with the manufacture of wooden bases on which he could mount his glass vases. Following the French tradition of furniture decoration known as marqueterie, his work is characterised by its meticulous decorative veneers, stained with subtle organic dyes; and panels inlaid with stunningly intricate country scenes and flowers. This important book outlines all of Galle's major works of furniture, from the pieces uniques that were designed for an exclusive clientele, to those displayed between 1889 and 1904 at the annual Paris Salons and two World Expositions. The recent emergence of many of his objets de luxe enables the reader to understand many of his pieces for the first time. Written by Decorative Arts specialist Alastair Duncan, Gallé Furniture documents the history of Gallé's furniture production from his favourite motifs to the ways in which he used furniture design to express his social and political ideals. Duncan includes an encyclopedic range of models created in the Gallé Workshops both during and after his lifetime. Beautifully illustrated, and containing translations of Gallé's 'Notes to the Juries' of the World Expositions, this stunning publication will leave the reader captivated by this remarkable expression of the new art that changed the European aesthetic forever. Forthcoming:Gallé Lamps ISBN: 9781851496716

Although renowned for his work as a verrier, lamps did not form a significant part of Gallé's repertoire in glass until immediately prior to 1900. Indeed, only in the last few years of his life does it appear that he realised the full aesthetic potential of opalescent glass viewed by transmitted light. In an Art Nouveau context, Gallé's creations reached their apogee between 1900 and his death in 1904, a brief period during which he adapted the shape of much of his glassware to its theme. Vases decorated with lilies became lily-shaped in a marriage of form and function. Fully-ripened gourds pendent on their vines glowed from within at the touch of a switch. Mushroom lamps brought the concept to full embodiment in the metamorphosis of the giant fungi into light fixtures. This comprehensive volume catalogues the full range of light fixtures produced by the Gallé cristallerie, from those made during his lifetime to those manufactured for more than twenty-five years after his death. Including table, bedside, hanging and wall models, Gallé Lamps reveals the extraordinary variety of thematic shade-and-base combinations introduced by the firm: butterflies, moths, dragonflies, swallows and eagles hover, flutter, glide or swoop over flora and mountain vistas in a seemingly endless interplay of Nature's decorative motifs. This volume is a companion to Gallé Furniture ISBN 9781851496624."It amazes me that such a high standard can be maintained for what is, given that quality, a modest price. Galle Furniture will appeal to libraries covering furniture, design and cultural studies" Reference Reviews