Erté: Romain de Tirtoff 1892-1990

by Brian Sewell, Morgan Falconer, Mikhail Dedinkin

Anniversary edition celebrating the life and work of Romain de Tirtoff, better known as Erté, whose illustrations for Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue made him one of the most sought-after artists of the 20th century.

Romain de Tirtoff (1892–1990), who changed his name to Erté (‘R’ and ‘T’ in French) when he left his native St Petersburg for Paris in 1912, became one of the most sought-after artists of the 20th century. His illustrations for Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue remain classics of the genre, proving that mass art can be genuine art. His work as stage, costume and fashion designer in Europe and America combined an eye for fashion and elegance with a sense of theatricality. In the early days Erté worked closely with the couturier Paul Poiret; he then took his remarkable talent to the stage, producing numerous designs for the revues and shows that were so popular at the time, as well as to film with his work for MGM. Mata Hari, Lillian Gish, Anna Pavlova and George Balanchine were just some of those whose costumes were designed by Erté. Even when his fame dipped, Erté remained true to his life’s work, continuing to create his wonderfully refined and delicate drawings, including the popular Alphabet series.

124 pages, Paperback

Published November 23, 2017

About the author

Brian R Sewell (born 15 July 1931 in Market Bosworth, Leicestershire) was an English art critic and media personality. He wrote for the London Evening Standard and was noted for his acerbic view of conceptual art and the Turner Prize. He was been described as "Britain's most famous and controversial art critic".

Reviews

[?0?0?0 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough that this striking magical troll from the wild lands of a peculiar English inner-city dragged my immeasurably taller and better dressed self to go see in downtown London, and this book does a terrific job capturing what we saw in a pleasant glossy format that is so awesome that nearly every page featuring a larger reproduction keeps calling out to be placed on walls for decoration. Why pedantically go into how great Erte is, discover for yourself.

[Sasibad · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️