The French Embassy hosted a gathering Thursday, complete with live music and dancing, to celebrate the centennial of the Art Deco movement. Photo by Caroline Phillips
French embassy swings into style for Art Deco’s 100th
After the First World War, Europeans were looking to break from the past and embrace a brighter future.
There was a cultural appetite for progress, pleasure and renewal. Designers, too, were ready to move away from the ornate and heavily decorated style of the past in favour of a streamlined glamour that would come to define Art Deco. It became the style that shaped skylines, fashion, interiors and essence of modern design. And it was celebrated last night at a legendary Art Deco landmark and architectural gem — the French embassy.
The diplomatic mission hosted Centenaire de l’Art Déco in honour of the 100th anniversary of the Art Deco movement, the focus of a recent two-day symposium. French Ambassador Michel Miraillet spoke about the hope, prosperity and innovation that the style came to represent.
“With sleek lines, innovative materials and motifs inspired by nature, primitive art and machinery, Art Deco captured the spirit of a generation eager for change,” Miraillet said during his brief remarks to invited guests. “It was a time when art and industry came together to create accessible beauty, blending functionality with bold aesthetics.”
French Ambassador Michel Miraillet, seen on the grand staircase of the French embassy, during a reception the embassy hosted on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Art Deco movement. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From Montreal to Vancouver and from Toronto to Winnipeg, “Art Deco left a lasting legacy across Canada,” said Miraillet, who highlighted a few examples, including the 23-storey Aldred Building office tower in Montreal and the Commerce Court office building complex in Toronto.
Art Deco took its name, short for Arts Décoratifs, from the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts held in Paris in 1925.
The French embassy in Ottawa was designed by French architect Eugène Beaudoin in collaboration with Montreal architects Antoine Monette and Marcel Parizeau. It took three years to complete, officially opening in 1939. The building blends French and Canadian influences, using materials sourced mainly from Quebec and France.
From left, Supreme Court of Canada Chief Justice Richard Wagner and his wife, Quebec Superior Court Justice Catherine Mandeville, joined French Ambassador Michel Miraillet, who hosted a reception at his embassy to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Art Deco — a style that influenced both the design of the embassy and the Supreme Court of Canada building. Photo by Caroline Phillips
As part of the 100th-anniversary celebrations, the embassy recently updated its Grand Salon. It brought in a large new carpet to replace the previous one, which, at more than 200 years old, was sent back to France for restoration. The room was also furnished with some new Maison Leleu pieces, created by the granddaughter of the original designer, Jules Leleu.
Among the attendees were Chief Justice Richard Wagner and Justice Malcolm Rowe of the Supreme Court of Canada, whose building is another celebrated example of Ottawa’s Art Deco architecture. Also in the crowd was retired senator and avid art collector Serge Joyal and a number of luminaries from diplomacy, business, politics and the cultural scene, including Dan Goldberg of Telesat, Paul Genest of Power Corporation, Doug Arends of the Canadian Bank Note Company, Caroline Dromaguet of the Canadian Museum of History and Canadian War Museum, and John Geiger of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.
The French embassy, thanks to its strong ties to the Ottawa Jazz Festival, enlisted executive and artistic director Petr Cancura to add some live 1920s-era music to the celebration.
The Petr Cancura Quartet consisted of Cancura on saxophone, John Geggie on bass, Steve Boudreau on piano and Jamie Holmes on drums. They were joined by Juno Award-winning vocalist Kellylee Evans and a group of swing dancers who showed off fancy footwork and effortless flair.
From left, Spanish Ambassador Alfredo Martínez Serrano, who’s also a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS), alongside RCGS and Canadian Geographic vice president (external) Rosemary Thompson and RCGS board vice-president Antoine Normandin (director of transportation planning with the National Capital Commission), and RCGS CEO John Geiger at the French embassy for an Art Deco centennial celebration hosted by the Embassy of France. Photo by Caroline Phillips
The Petr Cancura Quartet, featuring singer Kellylee Evans, at the French embassy for an Art Deco centennial celebration it hosted. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Tegan Schioler, owner of food and cultural events business T&CO, and her mother, author and cultural journalist Sarah Jennings, at the French embassy for its Art Deco centennial celebration held Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. Photo by Caroline Phillips
The French embassy hosted a reception, complete with an abundant buffet, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Art Deco movement. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Kevin Chan, global director and head of public policy (Canada) at Meta and board member with the National Arts Centre Foundation, and his wife, violinist Andréa Armijo, at the French embassy for its Art Deco centennial celebration. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Ottawa-based singer Kellylee Evans performed with the Petr Cancura Quartet at a celebration hosted by the French embassy to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Art Deco and its influence on modern design. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, retired senator Serge Joyal, Canadian Museum of History and Canadian War Museum president and CEO, Caroline Dromaguet, Hervé Lemoine, president of Paris-based Manufactures Nationales, and Quebec Superior Court Justice Catherine Mandeville at the French embassy for an Art Deco centennial celebration. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Ottawa lawyer and board director Jaspreet Kalra and Doug Arends, owner of the Canadian Bank Note Company, at the French embassy for an Art Deco centennial celebration. Photo by Caroline Phillips
The Petr Cancura Quartet, featuring singer Kellylee Evans, performed at the French embassy during its celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Art Deco movement. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Dr. Adnan Hadziomerovic, Telesat president and CEO Dan Goldberg, and Dr. George Tawagi at the French embassy for an Art Deco centennial celebration. Photo by Caroline Phillips
National Arts Centre Foundation board member Diane Obam, left, and Adrian Burns, former chair of the NAC board of trustees, at the French embassy for an Art Deco centennial celebration. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Paul Genest, senior vice president of Power Corporation of Canada, Canadian Museum of History and Canadian War Museum president and CEO, Caroline Dromaguet, Janelle MacKinnon and Minister of Transport and Government House Leader Steve MacKinnon at the French embassy for an Art Deco centennial celebration. Photo by Caroline Phillips
The Petr Cancura Quartet, featuring singer Kellylee Evans, at the French embassy for an Art Deco centennial celebration. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Danish Ambassador Nikolaj Harris, Irish Ambassador John Concannon and his wife, Mary Concannon, and Liliane Lê, vice-president of public affairs and marketingNational Gallery of Canada, at the French embassy for an Art Deco centennial celebration. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Isabelle Poupart, director general of European Affairs at Global Affairs Canada, and Sylvie Bragard, president of UFE (Union des Français de l’Étranger) Ottawa-Gatineau, at the French embassy for a 1920s-themed Art Deco centennial celebration. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Supreme Court Justice Malcolm Rowe, Martha Dunn, Quebec Superior Court Justice Catherine Mandeville and Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Wagner at the French embassy for an Art Deco centennial celebration. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Sandra Assaly and husband Stephen Assaly at the French embassy for a 1920s-themed Art Deco centennial celebration. Photo by Caroline Phillips
The Petr Cancura Quartet, featuring singer Kellylee Evans, at the French embassy for an Art Deco centennial celebration. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Francine Belleau, Dr. Claudine Michaud, Sandra Assaly and Rosa Paneda, wife of the Spanish ambassador, at the French embassy for a 1920s-themed Art Deco centennial celebration it hosted. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Iceland’s ambassador to Canada, Hlynur Guðjónsson, and Petr Cancura, executive and artistic director of the Ottawa Jazz Festival, as well as a musician, at the French embassy for its Art Deco centennial celebration it hosted. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Guests danced to live music, performed by the Petr Cancura Quartet and vocalist Kellylee Evans, during the 1920s-themed Art Deco celebration hosted by the French embassy on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. Photo by Caroline Phillips
This article is made possible through sponsorship from Star Motors, WCPD, Marilyn Wilson Dream Properties, ExecHealth, Infinity Convention Centre, Altis Recruitment, Bell Canada, First Avenue Investment Counsel, RBC, Welch LLP, Brazeau Seller Law.
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