Special Visit Art Deco City

When: November 20, 2024, 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Presenter(s): Co-curators Lynda Klich (Art and Art History) and Ania Jozefacka

ACERT invites you to a special guided visit of the exhibition “Art Deco City: New York Postcards from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection” at the Museum of the City of New York. Rsvp now to reserve your spot.

Join us on Wednesday, November 20, from 2:30-3:30pm for a guided tour of the exhibition led by co-curators Lynda Klich (Art and Art History) and Ania Jozefacka.

This event is open to all Hunter faculty and staff, but space is limited. Please fill out this form to reserve a spot. Everyone is welcome to join a coffee/tea reception afterwards at the Faculty Center on the 68th Street Campus.

Directions: The Museum of City of New York is located at 1220 Fifth Avenue at 103rd Street. We will meet directly at the Museum for the visit.

About “Art Deco City”:
During the 1920s and ’30s, the bold new look of Art Deco heralded New York’s arrival as a cosmopolitan metropolis: a center of architecture, design, fashion, and culture stealing the spotlight from the great European capitals. At the same time, the picture postcard, a form of modern communication, transmitted vibrant images and messages around the globe. Art Deco City: New York Postcards from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection illuminates the key role postcards played in transforming New York into an international capital during the interwar years. Featuring over 250 postcards as well as decorative arts, fashion, photography, drawings, and architectural models, Art Deco City will immerse visitors in the dazzling style that defined the modern city.

The exhibition highlights the impact that colorful, mass-produced postcards had in establishing Art Deco landmarks like the Chrysler Building, Empire State Building, and Rockefeller Center as international icons that epitomize the stylishness of Midtown Manhattan. In varied and creative ways, postcards echoed the sleek appeal of these soaring structures, which belied the realities of the Great Depression. Pairing these sought-after souvenirs with an array of images, historic artifacts, film footage, and hands-on interactive experiences, the exhibition uncovers the Art Deco elements that shaped New York’s image in the popular imagination. More than an aesthetic, Art Deco was the look that sold the city to the world. (via The Museum of City of New York)