Surviving examples

Some of the finest surviving examples of Art Deco art and architecture are found in Cuba, especially in Havana. The Bacardi Building is noted for its particular style, which echoes the classic themes of Art Deco. The style is expressed in the architecture of residences, businesses, hotels, and many pieces of decorative art, furniture, and utensils in public buildings, as well as in private homes.

Another country with many examples of rich Art Deco architecture is Brazil, specially in Goiânia and cities like Cipó, Iraí and Rio de Janeiro, especially in Copacabana. Also in the Brazilian Northeast — notably in countryside cities, such as Campina Grande in Paraiba State — there is a noticeable group of Art Deco buildings, which has been called “Sertanejo Art Deco” because of its peculiar architectural features.The reason for the style being so widespread in Brazil is its coincidence with the fast growth and radical economic changes of the country during 1930-1940. Art deco buildings are also numerous in Montevideo, Uruguay, including the iconic Palacio Salvo, which was South America's tallest building when it was built in the late 1920s.
Much of the Art Deco heritage of Tulsa, Oklahoma remains from that city's oil boom days. Houston, Texas has some surviving buildings, such as the Houston City Hall, the J.P. Morgan Chase building and the 1940 Air Terminal Museum, though many are threatened by modern development. In Beaumont, the Jefferson County Courthouse, built in 1931, is one of the few Art Deco buildings still standing.

Napier, New Zealand, was rebuilt in the Art Deco style after being largely razed by the Hawke's Bay earthquake of 3 February 1931. Although a few Art Deco buildings were replaced with contemporary structures during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, most of the centre remained intact for long enough to become recognized as architecturally unique, and from the 1990s onwards had been protected and restored. As of 2007, Napier has been nominated for UNESCO World Heritage Site status, the first cultural site in New Zealand to be nominated.

In London, the former Arsenal Stadium boasts the famous East Stand facade, which remains at the football club's old home at Highbury, London Borough of Islington, which was vacated in the summer of 2006. Opened in October 1936, the structure now has Grade II listed status and has been converted into flats. William Bennie, the man behind the project, famously used the Art Deco style in the final design which was seen as one of the most opulent and impressive stands in world football.
In Indonesia, the largest stock of Dutch East Indies era buildings are in the large cities of Java. Bandung is of particular note with one of the largest remaining collections of 1920s Art Deco buildings in the world,with the notable work of several Dutch architects and planners, including Albert Aalbers that added the expressionist architecture style to the Art Deco by designing the DENIS bank and renovated the Savoy Homann Hotel, Thomas Karsten, Henri Maclaine-Pont, J Gerber and C.P.W. Schoemaker. The Nederlandsche Handel Maatschappij building, now Museum Bank Mandiri, by J de Bryun, AP Smiths, and C Van de Linde, and right across it, the Jakarta Kota Station designed by Frans Johan Louwrens Ghijsels, are the surviving Art Deco buildings in Jakarta.

The Manila Metropolitan Theater located along P.Burgos Street in Manila is one of the few existing art deco buildings in the Philippines.

Valencia, Spain built profusely in Art Deco style during the period of economic bounty between wars in which Spain remained neutral. Particularly remarkable are the famous bath house Las Arenas, the building hosting the Rectorship of the University of Valencia and the cinemas Rialto , Capitol and Metropol.

Africa's most celebrated examples of art deco were built in Eritrea during Italian rule. Many buildings survive in Asmara, the capital, and elsewhere.

Finally, one of the most famous surviving examples of the Art Deco style is the famous Queen Mary, which is currently moored in retirement in Long Beach, California as a floating museum and hotel, a true lasting reminder to the past glory of the once numerous trans-Atlantic ocean liners, and to the Art Deco period.

Art deco

Art Deco was a popular international art design movement from 1925 until the 1940s, affecting the decorative arts such as architecture, interior design, and industrial design, as well as the visual arts such as fashion, painting, the graphic arts, and film. At the time, this style was seen as elegant, glamorous, functional, and modern.

The movement was a mix of many different styles and movements of the early 20th century, including Neoclassical, Constructivism, Cubism, Modernism, Art Nouveau, and Futurism. Its popularity peaked in Europe during the Roaring Twenties and continued strongly in the United States through the 1930s. Although many design movements have political or philosophical roots or intentions, Art Deco was purely decorative.

Art Deco experienced a decline in popularity during the late 30s and early 40s, and soon fell out of public favor. It experienced a resurgence with the popularization of graphic design in the 1980s. Art Deco had a profound influence on many later artistic movements, such as Memphis and Pop art.

Surviving examples may still be seen in many different locations worldwide, in countries as diverse as the United Kingdom, Spain, Cuba, Indonesia, the Philippines, Romania, New Zealand and Brazil. Many classic examples still exist in the form of architecture in many major cities. The Empire State Building and The Chrysler Building, both in New York City, are two of the largest and best-known examples of the style.