Gleaming Glamour: American Art Deco Metalwork in Architecture and Design of the Roaring 20s

In the 1920s, designers transformed the decorative arts with bold new materials—from stainless steel and innovative alloys to traditional techniques of time-honored wrought iron—reshaping everything from soaring skyscrapers to intimate tabletop objects. Influenced by Parisian elegance, Austro-Hungarian craftsmanship, American industry, and folk traditions, this era ushered in a striking new design language.

Join renowned design expert Sarah Coffin for a richly illustrated live presentation at the Dominican Academy in Manhattan, as she explores breathtaking examples of metalwork that adorned New York’s buildings and interiors. From domestic objects to architectural details, these works reimagined traditional forms and captured the modern spirit of experimentation and change.

Following the talk, continue the experience with a wine reception and a rare opportunity to view original metalwork throughout the Academy’s magnificent 1921 limestone building—once the mansion of Colonel Michael Friedsam, former president of B. Altman & Co. and one of America’s great art collectors. Designed by Frederick Frost with wrought iron by master craftsman Samuel Yellin, the six-story mansion still retains its carved marble fireplaces, stained glass windows, and exquisite woodwork. If you can't make the live event, you can join this event in real time via Zoom or watch it later On Demand.

An evening of design, history, and beauty—not to be missed.

About the Speaker:

Sarah D. Coffin, a Decorative Arts and Design Consultant, Curator, and Lecturer is the former Senior Curator and Head of the Product Design and Decorative Arts Department of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. There she curated numerous exhibitions including the highly acclaimed The Jazz Age: American Style in the 1920s at Cooper Hewitt and The Cleveland Museum of Art with co-curator Stephen Harrison of Cleveland. Prior positions included Vice President at Sotheby’s as Decorative Arts Representative, and a Silver and Metalwork specialist, in the European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. She is a graduate of Yale University, with an MA in Architectural History from Columbia University,