Jean Dunand and the Normandie: A Temple of Art Deco

An ambitious man, Jean Dunand (1877-1942) entered the school of decorative arts with great expectations. He eventually found a project that made his wildest dreams come true: decorating the biggest, most beautiful ocean liner ever built. Much more than just a ship, the Normandie was a technological wonder, the apex of French a rt d eco craftsmanship and design—and Dunand’s masterpiece. The 58-year-old devoted all of 1934 to the monumental project, overseeing the production of ornamental features, supervising the development of technical systems and carrying out the finishing work himself. Dunand, "working hard day and night, became so worn out that his health was seriously undermined for the rest of his life,” specialist Amélie Marcilhac wrote in her book about the artist. The depth of his devotion was equal to the grandeur of the Normandie , for which the Compagnie…