Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0954428838, Hardcover)

Arts in the ‘20s is an exquisitely printed and bound facsimile edition of Le arti d’oggi, a rare much sought after volume that features a dazzling array of early 20th century European architecture and decorative arts. Following the format of the original edition, this book includes over 800 original photographs that present a dazzling selection of architecture, interiors, furniture, and decorative arts produced in Europe during the 1920s. The book is divided into six sections:

Part One, Architecture (117 images), includes work by Walter Gropius, Eliel Saarinen, Peter Behrens, Josef Hoffmann, and Gio Ponti, as well as works by lesser known architects that prove equally significant when illustrating the stylistic features of the period.

Part Two, Interiors and Furniture (161 images), explores the era’s interior design, including homes and public buildings designed by such famous architects as Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, as well as furnishings produced by Galerie Lafayette and DIM.

Part Three, Metalwork and Jewelry (138 images), features a vast array of exquisite objects, from tea sets designed by Josef Hoffmann and beautiful Cartier jewels to Edgar Brandt’s wrought iron pieces and Dabobert Peche’s frames.

Part Four, Ceramics (144 images), includes a rich collection of Danish and Hungarian porcelain, such masterworks as the vases and tableware designed by Gio Ponti for Richard Ginori, and pieces crafted by the School of Ceramics in Faenza, as well as many pieces originating from a variety of different schools and national collections.

Part Five, Glass (110 images), features glasswork by such designers as Vittorio Zecchin and Guido Balsamo Stella, plus a collection of glassware featuring well-known makers of Bohemian crystal.

Part Six, (133 images), deals with lace, embroidery, printed paper, and textiles, including lace table centerpieces of Nordic manufacture, Lenci dolls, shawls by Depero, wonderful Guido Ravasi designed silks, and wallpapers by Wiener Werkstätte.

The text is by Roberto Papini, a noted art historian and critic in Italy. In his introductory text Papini describes a luminous utopian city called "Universa." The young citizens of this modern metropolis have left behind dated traditions and develop new styles in every discipline of design by following rigid principles that seem to be dictated by a futuristic manifesto. The captions that accompany the 800 images are weighted with Papini's personal views (effectively declaring whether or not, more often not, the building, interior, or object illustrated would fit within Universa’s futuristic scheme), and shed light on the preoccupations of the time.

The illustrations in this new edition, retouched versions of the original images, are printed using today’s duotone technology on an exquisite cream colored stock. The case of the book is in real cloth and is protected by a clear plastic book collector’s jacket and a cardboard slipcase. This book will be treasured by bibliophiles, collectors, and connoisseurs in a broad range of artistic disciplines.

Text in English (also available in Italian)