Visions of a Brighter Tomorrow: World’s Fairs of the 1930s

The World’s Fairs of the 1930s offered visions of a world in flux—attempting to chart a future at a moment when nothing felt stable. As the Great Depression reshaped daily life and global tensions mounted, fairs in Chicago, Paris, and New York became spectacular stages where nations expressed optimism, power, and unease through architecture, technology, and performance. In a 3-part series, art historian Jennie Hirsh examines this trio of landmark fairs, revealing how they transformed crisis into dazzling displays that captured both the aspirations and anxieties of their era. This session focuses on the World's Fair of Paris 1937.