The style that was to become known as Art Deco was introduced to the world in Paris in 1925 at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes. It was not until 1966, at a retrospective of that exposition, however, that the term was actually coined, to serve as an all encompassing designation for the architecture erected between the two world wars.

Both Shanghai and Miami have a treasure trove of Art Deco buildings. Shanghai’s Art Deco buildings are scattered all over the city, with the more stunning Art Deco apartment buildings and villas tending to be in the former French Concession while the Deco office buildings and banks lie further east, in the old International Settlement. The ones in Miami are concentrated in one area.

The Photographic Exhibition on Art Deco Architectures by Deke Erh