Simon Chaput: Miami Beach Art Deco Architecture

April 26–May 28, 2023
The Wolfsonian–FIU @ 1001 Washington Avenue

Presenting a new body of work by photographer Simon Chaput, this installation pays tribute to the architecture of Miami Beach’s Art Deco District, a singular ensemble of buildings erected between the 1930s and ’40s. Eighteen black-and-white photographs—many taken during the first months of the pandemic in a deserted South Beach—highlight the structural elements and stylized decorative details of historic Art Deco, bringing the buildings back to their original purity without the later addition of pastel colors. Reduced to pure geometric forms on the background of Chaput’s signature black sky, his architectural shots become abstract compositions that emphasize line and shape, giving the iconic structures a special, metaphysical aura.

Simon Chaput: Miami Beach Art Deco Architecture is organized by The Wolfsonian–FIU on the occasion of the 16th World Congress on Art Deco held in Miami Beach, April 20–28, 2023.