Eternal Paintings of Erte

Romain de Tirtoff, better known as Erte, had a long and illustrious career that transformed both the art fashion industry in which he produced fine original artwork for as well as the broader culture of the time of his widespread popularity.  Erte original artwork experienced two distinct periods of great cultural appreciation and popularity- the first during the 1920s with his introduction of his art deco styling that would later go on to define the generation, and later in the 1960s as he introduced art deco resurgences which modified his earlier aesthetic theme.

Erte first became famous in the 1920s and early 1930s for his work as a fashion designer.  He designed over 240 covers for Harper’s Bazaar during his career working for them.  Today, these covers remain highly collectible for fashion aficionados and art collectors alike. His covers reflect a high end fashion design eye and convey the art deco aesthetic for which Erte is credited for creating.  Some of Erte’s most famous covers include the June 1933 cover which portrays a tan, tall, thin woman lounging on the beach in a swimsuit, and his November 1920 cover which depicts a ballerina with a flamboyant skirt in red and yellow.

Erte’s most famous and best known piece of original artwork is his Symphony in Black.  Depicting a tall, slender woman painted in black, dressed in avant guard fashion and holding a dog by a leash, the Erte original painting has been reproduced in various paintings, sculptures, and prints since the time it was created.  This image remains so iconic due to its artistic value and sleek lines as well as its fashion forward attitude and its ability to capture the essence of the era in which it was created.  Today, serigraphs and prints of this image likely remain Erte’s most collectible artistic work.  A number of other Erte Paintings have also become quite collectible and famous due to their originality, skill, and ability to capture the ideology of a generation. 

While most Erte paintings focus of the female form, one of his more famous paintings The Wave emphasizes the organic water form of sweeping ocean waves.  While it does portray a woman, she is on the exterior or the round work and small in scale comparison to the waves themselves. Although this work does not focus on a woman and there are no clothes depicted, Erte’s eye for fashion still remains paramount.  The painting demonstrates the same art deco aesthetic as his fashion works and still has a very fashion forward quality about it, even without the use of garments.  Other Erte paintings, however, do focus on fashion as the key ingredient.  Famous works including A Queen, the Woman & the Devil, Aphrodite, Cirse, and Flames of Love all highlight the fashion design itself.

Equally famous to Erte painting are Erte bronze sculptures.  These original bronze sculptures most often depict a sensuous and elegant female form with beautiful draped clothes.  Erte’s eye for details and art deco fashion aesthetic are played a defining roll in his sculptress.  His original sculptures are often have a whimsical and flamboyant quality, echoing his fashion designers for the stage and his work for the top fashion magazines during his early career.  Erte’s most famous bronze sculptures include Le Belle du Nuit, an evening in 1921, an evening in 1922, The Mermaid, Venus, Femme De Luxe, Daydreams, and Moonlight.