Art deco, the design style popular between the two World Wars – has become extremely popular with collectors and among the most sought-after items are small bronze figures. The best were made in Paris in the 1920s by artists such as the Romanian sculptor Demetre Chiparus whose figurative pieces were designed to be displayed on a side-table or mantelpiece.
Art deco statuettes can be very valuable. For example, Alméria, one of an edition of five bronze figurines, decorated with ivory and hand-painted costume, of the ballerina and choreographer, Bronislava Nijinska, a member of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company and the sister of Nijinsky, was sold at auction in Bonhams in London three years ago for £265,250. In 2012, at Sotheby's New York a 13 inches high group figure of five dancers by Chiparus entitled Les Girls sold for a record $434,500.
But much more affordable art deco bronzes frequently turn up at auction and in the shops of specialist dealers like Niall Mullen in Dublin's Francis Street.
Because the market reputedly abounds in fakes, prospective collectors need to do their homework before buying. A new book from UK publisher ACC Art Books, Statuettes of the Art Deco Period by Alberto Shayo, is designed to introduce readers to the subject. It costs £50 and can be ordered through bookshops or online at accdistribution.com. A more detailed, specialised survey of Chiparus – Master of Art Deco, also by Alberto Shayo, is priced at £ 65. So-called "coffee-table" art books are expensive – given the limited print runs and lavish illustrations – but can also become collectible in their own right.
