1920s Paris - TASCHEN

Paris is the City of Light in all its dimensions. In the twenties, La Ville des Lumières shines with its own light and becomes a magnet for creative people from all over the world. It is the decade of Coco Chanel and Joséphine Baker, of Art Deco and Surrealism, of cafe culture and cabaret. The most famous artists of the time, later called classical modernism, are in close contact and maintain intense exchanges, among them Marcel Duchamp, Francis Picabia, Pablo Picasso, René Clair, Sonia Delaunay, André Breton, Paul Éluard, Max Ernst, and Salvador Dalí. Creative life and all its excesses flourish; bohème is the word for this way of life. Composers like Igor Stravinsky, writers like James Joyce or Ernest Hemingway, and exiles from Eastern Europe like Constantin Brancuși or Marc Chagall enrich the illustrious scene of Montparnasse. Photographers André Kertesz and Brassaï capture the vibrant bars and dance halls of Montmartre. The French economy  is booming and luxury department stores like La Samaritaine are opening their doors. Coco Chanel creates her own perfume and designs the little black dress.

The book features more than 30 outstanding works of architecture, painting, sculpture, cinema, photography, design and fashion, including Giacometti's surrealist sculpture Suspended Ball and the film An Andalusian Dog by Dalí and Buñuel. The flourishing creativity, diversity, and savoir vivre make Paris a coveted place for night owls, bon vivants, and lovers of fine arts to this day.