Erté

Romain de Tirtoff, known as Erté from the French pronunciation of his initials, was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, into a socially elite family destined for military service. Instead, he defied expectations and moved to Paris in 1912 at age 18 to pursue his passion for art and fashion. Beginning his career under Paul Poiret, the most respected couturier in Paris at the time, Erté went on to work for Harper’s Bazaar for 22 years, creating more than 240 magazine covers. He became notorious for his elaborate costumes and exotic designs, especially at the Folies-Bergère in Paris, and briefly worked with MGM in Hollywood in 1925 at the invitation of Louis B. Mayer.
Often referenced as one of the founders of Art Deco, Erté defined the style as a fusion of Art Nouveau’s curvilinear designs with Cubist, Constructivist, and geometrical elements of modernity. Influenced by Persian miniatures, he would often use a brush with a single hair to complete his gouache paintings. Erté began creating lithographs and serigraphs in the 1970s, publishing more than 180 designs through the Circle Fine Art Corporation and various publishers. In 1979, the Smithsonian Institution organized a retrospective of his work that traveled to major museums across the U.S. and Canada. At his death at age 97, he was considered one of the most influential artists of the 20th century and is represented by Park West Gallery.