Art Moderne (1930 - 1940)

The Art Moderne style is a late variation of the Art Deco style (1920-1940). Art Moderne stripped down the stylized ornamentation and sharp corners of Art Deco to reveal a sense of dynamism similar to modern industrial designs of ships, airplanes and automobiles. Art Moderne buildings were designed to have smooth walls, asymmetric facades, flat roofs, and architectural details that accentuated horizontality and motion along one or more rounded corners. Concrete and glass windows frequently continued around corners to further emphasize a sense of continuity, and the use of glass blocks and small rounded windows was also popular. The emphasis of the style was on the future rather than the past.

The Art Moderne style was greatly influenced by aerodynamic automotive design with slipstreams, sweeping lines and V shapes suggesting a sense of efficiency and speed. These characteristics also influenced the design of mundane objects such as radios, gas pumps, and refrigerators.