Art Deco was one of the most pervasive styles of the modern era. “But what is art deco? It is easier to say what it isn’t, for there was never any coherent theory, principle or aesthetic to it, nor any clear and particular source. Art deco, if anything, was simply the celebration of eclecticism as a virtue and stylistic opportunism as a principle. It scoured the world and the ages for its sources, from tribal Africa to Japan, and ancient Egypt to Peru, and then looked to contemporary high art, to cubism, futurism and the Ballets Russes for present excitements and stimulation.”