Art Deco at Chicago’s 1933–1934 Century of Progress International Exposition

Chicago's 1933-1934 Century of Progress International Exposition formed one of the most prominent, albeit brief, displays of Art Deco in the US. This chapter high lights the evolution of the Art Deco style in American architecture through an examination of the pavilion designs produced for A Century of Progress as the exposition, like other world's fairs before and after it, helped to introduce and reinforce various architectural vocabularies. Most of the artists who created the panels of bas-relief sculpture that graced the walls of the Art Deco buildings at Rockefeller Center were also engaged in producing works in Chicago, including for A Century of Progress. In the years immediately after A Century of Progress closed its doors for the final time, a series of American cities, including San Diego, Cleveland, Dallas, San Francisco, and New York tried to emulate Chicago's exposition success.