Métro'Folies: Nancy celebrates Art Deco
This year, Nancy is donning the colors of Art Deco!
The International Exhibition of Decorative Arts
2025 marks the centenary of the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris. That year, the Nancy pavilion showcased the expertise of its most illustrious artists and craftsmen.
Although Art Deco was born before 1925, it was this exhibition that gave it international visibility by becoming the global showcase of a style that became popular all over the world.
Art Deco
The interwar period was marked by numerous changes. On an artistic level, there was a break with the stylistic principles established by Art Nouveau, notably with a geometrization of forms.
The artists themselves often came from the Nancy School: Jean Prouvé for the ironwork, Jacques Grüber for the stained glass, or the André brothers (sons of the Nancy School architect Émile André) for the architecture.
The ducal city played a major role in disseminating the artistic avant-garde. The 1930s, in particular, left a significant mark on the urban planning of the city and the greater Nancy area. Nearly 1,300 Art Deco buildings were constructed between the two World Wars ! In Nancy, one can admire, among others, the Printemps department store building, the Lycée Cyfflé high school, the former headquarters of the Pont-à-Mousson foundries, the Museum-Aquarium, and the villas in the Saurupt district. In the greater Nancy area, the Domaine de l'Asnée in Villers-lès-Nancy, the Malzéville community hall, the houses on Rue Pierre et Marie Curie in Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, and the Zola Sainte-Anne district in Laxou exemplify this period.
The 1920s/1930s therefore left an exceptional architectural legacy.
The Métro'Folies event
Officially launched on April 26, Métro'Folies will celebrate Art Deco until the Saint Nicholas festivities. Numerous events will punctuate the year: exhibitions, concerts, conferences, tours, parties, shows, workshops, tourist circuits…
But beyond the enhancement of this remarkable heritage, Métro'Folies will focus on highlighting the art of living of this era as well as other artistic expressions typical of the 1920s and 1930s such as music or cinema.
© Régine Datin
Art Deco in Meurthe-et-Moselle
While Art Deco flourished in Nancy, many towns in Meurthe-et-Moselle retain an interesting architectural heritage, such as Saint Nicolas de Port and its old brewery.
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