Between the Wars

The period between World War I and II was one of brisk cultural activity in art, design, music and entertainment. Relive the glamour of the time at some of these hot spots.

Friday Evening

Designed in 1928 by Walker & Eisen, downtown’s Oviatt Building began as a men’s store built for clothier James Oviatt, who had fallen in love with Art Deco during buying trips to Paris. Now the elegant building houses Cal/Italian Cicada restaurant (once Rex). Reserve one of the intimate leather booths for dinner. 617 S. Olive St., downtown. (323) 655-5559.

Saturday Morning

To learn more about Art Deco, you only have to go as far as downtown L.A. The Los Angeles Conservancy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to architectural preservation. The conservancy offers many walking tours, but one of its best is the Art Deco Tour. Noted for lush geometric ornament, opulent, often gilded, materials and lavish interiors, the modernistic Art Deco style was embraced by L.A. as a symbol of progress. The tour examines a range of designs found downtown including the Oviatt, Sun Realty and Garfield buildings and the turquoise blue Eastern Columbia Building. Tours begin at 10 a.m. and last 2 1/2 hours. $5; free to conservancy members. Reservations required. (213) 623-CITY weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Saturday Evening

The Fountain Theatre brings 1930s Hollywood center stage in its production of “The Last Tycoon.” The stylish rendering of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s last and unfinished novel tells the story of a doomed boy-genius movie producer and his love for a mysterious woman. Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 7 p.m. Also, Aug. 16, 23, 30 at 3 p.m. Ends Aug. 30. $18-$22. 5060 Fountain Ave., Hollywood. (323) 663-1525.

After the play, stop by the Argyle Hotel for a drink. Fenix (the hotel’s bar and restaurant) is quietly displacing Mondrian’s Skybar down the street as the “in” place. And why not? The building (also Art Deco, originally built in 1929) is magnificent. Robert Altman chose the Argyle (formerly the St. James Club) as the setting for a meeting in “The Player” (1992). 8358 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. Call (323) 848-6677 or (323) 654-7100 to be put on the guest list.

Sunday

The period between the wars was also a time of artistic liberation for African Americans. Two recently opened exhibitions explore cosmopolitan centers of African American culture at the time, Paris and Harlem.

“Rhapsodies in Black: Art of the Harlem Renaissance,” on view at the L.A. County Museum of Art, presents Chicago painter Archibald Motley Jr.’s nightclub and street scenes from the ‘20s and ‘30s, as well as Aaron Douglas’ jazz-inspired paintings. Carl Van Vechten’s photographic portraits of Harlem celebrities include singers Billie Holliday and Bessie Smith. Rare archival jazz recordings and film clips of Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Count Basie and others, singer-dancer Josephine Baker and actor-singer Paul Robeson are included. Through Oct. 19. Adults, $6; students and seniors, $4; children, $1; children 5 and under free. 5905 Wilshire Blvd., (323) 857-6000.

“The Jazz Age in Paris, 1914-1940” is explored through Oct. 4 at the California African-American Museum. The exhibition tells the story of African American expatriates, who came to Paris (or decided to stay, in the case of soldiers who had served in the war) because of the city’s friendly racial and artistic climate. Photographs, letters and advertisements address themes such as the Cake Walk of Ragtime music and cabaret life. Kiosks tell the stories of Jazz Age personalities, among them James Reese Europe, Sidney Bechet and Josephine Baker. 600 State Drive, Exposition Park. Free. (213) 744-7432.