MELBOURNE.- On 28 June 2008 the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) will open the most comprehensive exhibition ever staged on one of the most glamorous and popular of all artistic styles.

Art Deco 1910–1939 is coming exclusively to Melbourne from London’s famed Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and is the fifth exhibition in the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series at the NGV.

Organised by the V&A, the exhibition captures the spirit of the Art Deco period by combining important masterworks from the V&A’s acclaimed collection with public and private works from around the world.

This is the first Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition ever mounted by the NGV to feature the decorative arts. While ceramics, glassware and furniture are key highlights, the exhibition brings together an extraordinary range of artistic media.

Art Deco reached across every form of creative endeavour including painting, jewellery, fashion, industrial design, graphic design, film, architecture, automotive design, photography and furniture.

NGV Director Gerard Vaughan said the exhibition will highlight the impact of Art Deco with over 300 works on display.

“Glamorous, consciously modern, vibrant and often exotic, Art Deco is widely considered the most popular artistic style of the twentieth century,” Dr Vaughan said. “It is the style that took the world by storm.”

“This exhibition is the first to explore Art Deco as a global phenomenon which affected cities as far apart as Paris, New York, Bombay, Shanghai and of course, Melbourne.

“This stunning exhibition explores the evolution and flowering of Art Deco with such breadth and diversity that it is sure to surprise and delight even the most passionate fan of the style.”

Key highlights of the exhibition will include precious Deco jewels from Cartier’s collections in Geneva, exquisite fashion by Chanel, a pristine vintage vehicle of the period and special sections exploring the spread of Deco across the world, including a key focus on Australia.

The paintings of Tamara de Lempicka, who created some of the most iconic images of the Deco age, will be another popular feature. One of her striking portraits, The telephone II from 1930 (pictured above), will be displayed in the exhibition. By encapsulating the glamour and elegance of high society, the bold depictions of her female sitters brilliantly capture the independence of the newly liberated "modern" woman of the time.

NGV Deputy Director Frances Lindsay said another exciting highlight of the exhibition will be the display of original architectural elements from the foyer of the Strand Palace Hotel from London’s West End, rescued by the V&A during the demolition of the foyer space in 1969.

“This beautiful interior is considered to be one of the finest examples of the Art Deco movement, with its elegant lighting, sweeping staircase and marble fixtures. I have no doubt its reconstruction will captivate visitors when they see it presented here in Melbourne.”

Ms Lindsay said the exhibition was a great coup for the National Gallery of Victoria.

“We are delighted to be working with the Victoria and Albert Museum in London again and are proud to present this outstanding celebration of art and design from around the world.”

Art Deco is the name given to the 20th century style that came to worldwide prominence in the inter-war years and left its mark on nearly every field of creative endeavour.

Although its stylistic origins preceded the First World War, Art Deco burst onto the world stage at the 1925 Paris Exposition Internationale and quickly swept across the globe. The influence of Art Deco was everywhere: it transformed the skylines of cities from New York to Shanghai and shaped the design of everything from glamorous evening wear to everyday plastic radios.

Art Deco was the style of the flapper girl, the streamlined luxury ocean liner and sports car, the Hollywood film and the skyscraper. The style represented a move away from traditional values and was typically characterised by clean, geometric and elegant lines.