Defining the Moment: History, Style, and the Paris Exposition of 1925

The Paris Exposition of 1925 was one of the most anticipated cultural events of the interwar years, having originally been scheduled for 1916 when the Great War caused its postponement. Much expectation of its importance to the arts flourished among French and British critics who were much impressed by developments in Weimar Germany. They hoped for a new modern style to be reflected not only in painting and architecture but also in furniture and design as reflected in the Bauhaus. This style was to part from the period historicist look and to reflect the importance of industrial design. After the devastation of the war, the new style was seen as not only having aesthetic and cultural effects but also attached to utopian hopes regarding social and political problems. With the flourishing of a new modern style on ocean liners, the goals of the exposition were nothing less than global.