Le jardin moderne à la française à l’Exposition internationale de 1925

This article is a study of the gardens presented at the 1925 Art Deco exhibition in Paris, setting out to question the label ‘Art Deco garden’ that has been given them by subsequent historical writing. Our examination of this categorisation is part of a broader project to improve our understanding and appreciation of the art of garden design in France between the two wars, taking the ephemeral creations seen at the 1925 exhibition as the quintessence of the period’s garden creations. The analysis allows us to identify three main trends in the garden designs of the time, the neo-classical gardens, the gardens of Mediterranean inspiration and the gardens belonging to the avant-garde movements in the decorative arts and architecture. By looking at the theoretical and historical background to these creations, points of convergence and points of tension emerge, allowing us to underline how the discipline as a whole was in a process of renewal. This renewal stems from an ambition to create a new style of garden which would be both modern and national.