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ERTE
Erte (Romain de Tirtoff)
Etre (Romain de Tirtoff) b.1892 St.Petersburg, Russia d.1990
Born into aristocracy Erte was inspired by exotic fabrics and textures from a young age. At 19 he moved to Paris and took the name Erte based on the French pronunciation of his initials. His long spanning career began with a 22-year pursuit of creating cover art and illustrations for the magazine, Harper’s Bazaar. This is where his distinctive Art Deco-style emerged.
During this time he designed 250 covers and numerous drawings for its pages and diversified into a variety of other artistic activities. After a fling in Hollywood designing for extravagant silent films including Ben Hur. Erte left the magazine to create sets and costumes for theater and opera. For the next 40 years, he dressed and extraordinary roster of opera, stage and screen stars, including Mary Garden, Josephine Baker, Marion Davies, Lillian Gish, Mata Hari, and Anna Pavlova. These achievements earned him the title “Father of Art Deco”.
In 1967 the Metropolitan Museum of Art purchased and exhibited a collection of some 200 Etre gouaches. Shows in London followed, bringing Erte even more recognition. His success at these exhibitions was summarized by the noted London Sunday Times art critic, John Russell (later of the New York Times) who wrote, “If Michelangelo were to come back from the dead he could hardly have greater or more eulogious publicity than has been accorded to Erte.”
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