Amsterdam in the top 10 best European art deco cities

The American edition of The Guardian has proclaimed Amsterdam one of the best European cities for art deco design.

Art deco’s straight lines and bold shapes were an expression of early-20th-century belief in technology and progress. The Guardian designed 10 cities around Europe that best showcase this exuberance.

Art deco in the US and in Europe

The Guardian reminds us what art deco is:

“Art deco began in France during the first world war and went on to accompany the age of jazz, Josephine Baker, cocktails, convertibles and talking pictures. While art nouveau had been curvy and nature-inspired, art deco was symmetrical, layered, topped with pyramids, stepped forms and zigzag lines. It was celebrated at Paris’s Exposition International des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in 1925.

Unable to compete with the extravagant, steel-framed skyscrapers being constructed in the US, European cities developed their own style of streamlined building, with exotic facades combining art-deco geometry with national motifs. Art deco was fun, sophisticated, technological and modern. Inspired by cubism, futurism and the craze for all things ancient Egyptian that followed the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922, it lent a colourful, dynamic look to urban architecture.”

The 10 best European cities for art deco

According to the Guardian:

Paris
Kaunas, Lithuania
Valencia
Lisbon
London
Moscow
Amsterdam
Bucharest
Berlin
Nice.

Amsterdam in the top 10 of best European cities for art deco

The cinema Tuschinski is the best showcase of the Art deco exuberance, the newspaper reported. “The building has an opulent lobby in autumnal colors, with matching carpet and special lighting effects.”

The Tuschinski cinema. Photograph: Alamy

Other art deco-rich sites and buildings in the capital are, according to The Guardian, the Pijp district, the Olympic Stadium and the Convention Center De Bazel.

[Sources: The Guardian, Nu.nl]

About
Latest Posts

Arianna

Publisher / Community / Marketing Manager at expatsHaarlem

Arianna was born in Rome, Italy and grew up mostly in Florence. When she was 18 years old she came to the Netherlands, where she remained till today. Arianna likes to make trips, discover Haarlem, taste good food, meet internationals and share experiences. Currently she is living with her hubby and 3 toddlers in one of the cutest little neighborhoods of Haarlem, de Vijfhoek.