“Art Deco was a deeply eclectic style that drew from many sources, but none gave the style its distinctive flavor more than Africa,” writes Ghislaine Wood, curator of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s exhibit, “Art Deco 1910-1939,” in the catalog for a new exhibit by Maison Gerard, “Primitive & Modern.” The exhibit, running through June 18, illustrates the influence African art had on 20th-century French Art Deco designs.

As Ms. Wood points out in the catalog, the vogue for the African exotic in 1920s and ’30s Paris permeated the decorative motifs of Art Deco artists: the bold, geometric shapes, dark, earthy colors, and even images of African flora and fauna became recurring patterns in Art Deco furniture and textiles. Furthermore, materials from Africa, such as macassar ebony, amaranth, palm wood, and rose wood, became the materials of choice for French Art Deco furniture.

Maison Gerard’s new exhibit juxtaposes African art with French Art Deco designs, mixing furniture by Jean Michel Frank (1895-1941), Eugene Printz (1879-1948), and Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann (1879-1933) with ritual African objects, headdresses, and stools to show the relationship between the styles. A circa 1935 cerused-oak and wenge wood armoire with solid brass handles and details and a circa 1930 palm-wood and copper coffee table by Printz are shown along with stools from early 20th-century Nigeria, masks and a shrine door from 19th-century Mali, and a 19th-century iron-wood Zulu headrest from South Africa.

“Primitive and Modern,” through June 18 at Maison Gerard, 53 E. 10th St., 212-674-7611, www.maisongerard.com.