BABA Books
Historic Ironwork: General and Domestic
Art Deco Ironwork & Sculpture
By Cook & Skinner
BABA member price £37
Non-member price £45
This volume is compiled from the catalogues, scrapbooks and portfolios published in the mid 1920s to inspire fellow artists on the cutting edge.
It contains very little text, only a wealth of black and white period photographs, all taken with the intention of showing the work at its best.
The majority of work is forged metal, although part is devoted to wood, stone and even a page of glass vases.
It serves as a reminder of the stunning lines produced by the Art Deco exponents, the incredible detail put into the work and the variety of styles being produced at the time, from the classical influences, through the style we now recognise as Art Deco, to very modernistic and forward looking images.
Many pieces contain details, that look as if they could have graced a recent edition of ‘Artist Blacksmith’. The panels carved in stone or wood are just begging to be used as inspiration for repousse projects, indeed the book is full of shapes and details which are waiting to be reinvented as the starting point for a new design.
Book review Artist Blacksmith Magazine Winter 2005