Where In The World Is Clive Foss?

Georgetown University history professor Clive Foss has been fascinated with Art Deco for many years, probably going back to his teenage years when he read science fiction and collected old magazines from the 1930s and 40s. Clive notes that their futuristic illustrations planted a seed in his mind that germinated after a friend who teaches architectural history showed him how to look at buildings and opened his eyes to the world of architecture.

So, for the past 20 years or so, Clive has been scouting out Art Deco (and Art Nouveau) buildings, admiring them, and taking photographs. The result is a collection—Foss doesn‘t describe it as an archive because it‘s very far from being complete—of several thousand slides and digital images.

Clive‘s collection has expanded because he travels a great deal, occasionally for Art Deco (within the US), but more often for research. Foss teaches an unusual field at Georgetown—the history of dictators and dictatorship. For that, he likes to get a sense of the countries where dictators flourished or still do, and to gather visual material for his classes. These trips have taken Foss to Italy, Germany, Cuba, and China quite often, and to Russia, Eastern Europe, parts of Latin America, and such oddities as Albania, Libya, and North Korea. Wherever he goes, Clive keeps his eyes open for Art Deco, and his camera at the ready. Some of the results are what you'll see in his presentation.

After a quick look at some forerunners of Art Deco, Foss will consider the characteristics of Deco‘s main branches, the Zigzag Moderne of the 1920s, the Streamline Moderne of the 30s, and (to a lesser extent) the ubiquitous Classical Moderne, so beloved by governments. Then a sample of the spectacular architectural decoration that helps define the style. We‘ll also have a look at some other styles that share elements with Deco, but are really quite different, notably the architecture of Mussolini, Stalin, and Hitler.

Foss says that there is so much material that he found it hard to make a selection and know how to present it. He chose to look at different types of buildings to show how adaptable and universal Art Deco was: from government offices to radio stations, factories, stores, theatres, hotels, and apartments to private houses—and many others. Foss's presentation will include quite a few examples from Cuba and China, but many other countries will also be represented. The presentation will end with a few of Foss's own favorites.

Directions

The Charles Sumner School is a beautifully restored historic building located at 1201 17th St., N.W., next to the National Geographic Explorers Hall.

• Map: from Google Maps, from Yahoo Maps, from MapQuest
• Metro: .25 miles from Farragut North on the Red Line, .35 miles from Farragut West on the Blue and Orange Lines.
• Parking: Some on-street parking is available after 6:30 pm; there are also several public garages in the area.
• Dining: There are a number of restaurants and hotels with bars and restaurants located nearby.

For More Information

For more information about this event or to RSVP, send email to Karyn Jarboe, kjarboe@adsw.org, or call 703-864-7070.

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Created December 28, 2008; Modified Wednesday, December 31, 2008.