Art Deco is one of the most exciting chapters in the history of the decorative arts. Conceived in France before the First World War, it spread throughout Europe and had its greatest and most spectacular success in the United States. Myriad influences shaped the style - Cubism, Constructivism, Orientalism, the Ballets Russes, the Bauhaus - and its exponents included many of the century's most celebrated artists, designers and craftsmen.