ERTÉ (1892-1990)
Erté, born Romain de Tirtoff in St. Petersburg as the son of an admiral, is undoubtedly one of the greatest fashion illustrators, designers, graphic artists and stage designers of the 20th century. Before leaving for Paris with twenty he received ballet lessons from the daughter of the great Petipa and with fifteen he studied painting under Ilja Repin, the most important Russian artist of the time. In Paris he continued with his studies and was discovered by fashion czar Paul Poiret. He designed costumes for Mata Hari and, after his book with Poiret, who published Erté designs under his own name in Harper‘s Bazaar, collections for the department store Henri Bendel in New York. He drew for La Gazette du Bon Ton and as of l9l6 for Vogue for a six month period before signing an exclusive contract with Harper‘s Bazaar, for whom he created virtually all covers for the next 25 years. In 1920 he went to Hollywood as a costume designer and was employed by the Ziegfeld Follies. During the next years he not only designed costumes but also sets for world-renowned theaters — very often for the choreographer Roland Petit and shortly before his death for the Broadway musical “Stardust‘. From the late 1930s little is heard of illustrator Erté for the next thirty years. In 1967 there is an Erté revival and exhibitions of his work celebrate triumphant successes in London and New York.
Erté, born Romain de Tirtoff in St. Petersburg as the son of an admiral, is undoubtedly one of the greatest fashion illustrators, designers, graphic artists and stage designers of the 20th century. Before leaving for Paris with twenty he received ballet lessons from the daughter of the great Petipa and with fifteen he studied painting under Ilja Repin, the most important Russian artist of the time. In Paris he continued with his studies and was discovered by fashion czar Paul Poiret. He designed costumes for Mata Hari and, after his book with Poiret, who published Erté designs under his own name in Harper‘s Bazaar, collections for the department store Henri Bendel in New York. He drew for La Gazette du Bon Ton and as of l9l6 for Vogue for a six month period before signing an exclusive contract with Harper‘s Bazaar, for whom he created virtually all covers for the next 25 years. In 1920 he went to Hollywood as a costume designer and was employed by the Ziegfeld Follies. During the next years he not only designed costumes but also sets for world-renowned theaters — very often for the choreographer Roland Petit and shortly before his death for the Broadway musical “Stardust‘. From the late 1930s little is heard of illustrator Erté for the next thirty years. In 1967 there is an Erté revival and exhibitions of his work celebrate triumphant successes in London and New York.
