Shanghai Art Deco, a volume based on the research of Deke Erh and Tess Johnston for over two decades, has now hit the market! This is the first comprehensive survey of Art Deco specimens in Shanghai, with numerous photos taken by the author, precious collections and rich historical documents.
The book is divided into two parts. Part one will introduce the immense influence of Art Deco on Shanghai’s architectural designs in the 1930s. These historical architectures include the public buildings, apartments and residential houses. All the building photos included in this volume are taken by Mr. Deke Erh, not only a co-author of this book, but also a famous photography in China. Part two: a display of the treasures of old Shanghai, such as furniture, glass, clock, camera, ceramic, old magazine and so on. All of these objects, collected by Mr. Deke Erh, reflect that Art Deco represented a modern lifestyle rather than an art style to the people lived in Shanghai during the inter-war years.
Deke also wanted this volume to introduce Art Deco to the Chinese, who know little about the style, so the text is also translated into Chinese. As Art Deco is Deke’s favorite architectural style, he did most of the local research that he now shares with Shanghainese readers. The book reveals the broad scope of the city’s Art Deco treasures. Despite sixty years of benign neglect, the stylish Deco detailing shines through, affording a glimpse into a wonderful world of Art Deco in this unlikely place – a city on the distant shores of China.
