Erte

French, 1892–1990. Romain de Tirtoff, also, Erté was a 20th-century designer who worked in different areas like jewelry, fashion, costume, and graphic arts. The French artist also designed sets for operas, theatres, and films. He was also an interior decorator. Romain de Tirtoff was born on November 23, 1892, in Saint Petersburg in a high-born Russian family. Pyotr Ivanovich Tyrtov, Tirtoff's father, was an admiral in the Russian Army. His father wanted Tirtoff to pursue a career as a naval officer.

However, the artist, in 1910, went to Paris and changed his name to Erté (initials of his name Romain de Tirtoff (R.T.)). During 1913 the artist worked at Paul Poiret's fashion design firm until 1914. The artist began working for Harper's Bazaar in 1915 to design and draw illustrations for the magazine covers. He created more than 240 magazine covers throughout his career. Erté's visual artwork often features the Art Deco style depicting minimal decoration and tapering lines. These works often portrayed influences of the natural surroundings. Adding to Erté's visual artwork at auction, his sculptures also have international acclaim. For his Art Deco-inspired works, Erté was famously known as "The Father of Art Deco." Some notable mentions of his set and costume designs involve famous silent movies like Dance Madness, Ben Hur, and Paris.

The artist was also a serigrapher. One of his famous serigraphs was titled Symphony in Black, featuring a woman in black clothes and a dog. Erté's visual artwork also includes notable pieces like Pink Lady and Lust. During the 1960s, the artist created lithographs and sculptures meant to renew interest in the Art Deco style. Erté received multiple awards for his works. He also showed at the Knoedler Gallery exhibitions in New York, the Shiseido Gallery in Japan, and the Galleria Milano in Italy. Today, collectors can find Erté's visual artwork for sale with leading auction galleries and online auctions.