Studio: international art (90.1925)

as much in delicacy and elegance as in that
harmonious simplicity which is one of the
essential marks of the French genius.
They are pretentious and at the same
time dreary ; they bear, to an exaggerated
degree the mark of a far too conscious
striving after originality, novelty at any
price, and this deprives them of all charm.

I very much doubt whether these cold,
severe and funereal looking pavilions,
these monumental gates (whose uselessness
is evident), these four massive square
towers, the sole raison d'etre of which is to
uphold a restaurant, the decoration of the
Pont Alexandre III. or that of the Com des
Metiers will hold out a sufficiently power-
ful attraction to the public or be a con-
vincing enough demonstration of the
excellence of these new ways of building
for this architectural style to gain a firm
hold on us. And I am quite sure I am not
the only one who is glad of this. 0

It would have been a far better thing to
have shown the visitors buildings fitted
for some definite useful purpose,—country
houses, workmen's dwellings and so forth,
built, arranged, decorated and furnished
according to present-day ideas and condi-
tions of public and private life, instead of

pavillion du bon marche (atelier
"pomone"). architect, l. h. boileau

(International Exhibition of Modern De-
corative and Industrial Arts, Paris)

erecting this town of exhibition pavilions,
whose sole end and aim is to attract atten-
tion to the products which are exhibited in
them and the firm which has made them.
The whole collection teaches no practical
lesson, ciaaaaa

Notwithstanding these remarks, it would
be unjust to deny that, such as it is, this
Exhibition of 1925 gives evidence of great
and admirable efforts. And, in the
opinion of foreigners competent to judge,
there are very few countries at the present
day where the decorative arts are prosperous
and fertile enough to have produced such
an important display as this. 0 0

Confining these remarks to the architec-
ture, for the present, some of the most
interesting features may be given. The
transformation of the Grand Palais by
M. Charles Letrosne is very attractive,
and I would mention also the Salle des
Fetes (architecture by M. Louis Sue,
decoration by M. Jaulmes) ; the Hotel d'un
Collectionneur (architect, M. Patout, de-
corations and furniture by Ruhlmann) ;
the pavilion of the Galeries Lafayette
(architects MM. Hiriart, Tribout and
Beau, the studios of " La Maitrise,"
under the direction of M. Dufrene being

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