during the 1920s. She became friendly with avant- garde writers and artists.
After 1940, when World War II disrupted the flow of art from Europe, she continued to support avant- garde artists in the US.
Avant-garde: French for ‘vanguard’. It usually refers to people like writers and artists and their ideas that are ahead of their time.
Innovation and Invention
The Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower was the centrepiece of the World’s Fair in Paris in 1889, the centenary year of the French Revolution.
Gustave Eiffel’s engineering firm won the contest for its design and the wrought-iron structure demonstrated France’s industrial prowess to the world.
Iron had been used as support structures for factories and bridges, but this was a completely new use of the material. Elevators were deliberately included so that Parisians and their visitors could enjoy the views.
Street Art The poster emerged as a new form of art during the 1890s, and large colourful advertisements transformed the streets.
Figure 14.7 Peggy Guggenheim in Paris, 1930. The silhouette of Notre Dame is clearly visible and Dutch Interior II by Joan Miró hangs on the wall behind her.
An American documentary film about art collector Peggy Guggenheim is available on YouTube. Search for ‘Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict (2015)’.
Figure 14.8 Le Pays des Fées, 1889, by Jules Cheret. A poster advertising an attraction at the World’s Fair of 1889 in Paris.
