Arnold Schwartzman’s photographs of Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, Art Deco signs, interiors, buildings and exterior ornament will make your mouth water. I promise.
He is a graphic designer, filmmaker and archivist with a passion for the most exquisite artifacts of the past. And that’s a fact! At 86 years old, Schwartzman and his wife, Isolde, continue to circle the globe in search of monuments to the most alluring decorative styles.
From time to time, he will send me a book proposal. His latest, Miami Art Deco, is right up my street. I love my infrequent visits to the Deco capital of the East Coast, where I feel like I am on a permanent movie set of a futuristic city. It is unreal. But as these photos attest, reality is the key word.
Portentously, Schwartzman shows the currently maintained Deco facades along with vintage hand-tinted photographs of the structures. Portentously? Well, if climate change is not reversed, this book, as yet not scooped up by a publisher, will be the only record.
For now, however, enjoy the jewels of Miami Beach.
