Marcel Vertès

“Evening at the Ballet”

Circa 1955

Emmanuel Marcel Vertès, born Vértes Marcell in Újpest (Hungary) on 10 August 1895 and died in Paris 16th arrondissement on 31 October 1961, was a Hungarian-born French painter, engraver, illustrator and costume and film designer. After studying with Ferenczy at the Beaux-Arts in Budapest, Marcel Vertès produced political posters during the First World War. Going into exile at the end of the hostilities, like his comrades Mihály Bíró and Róbert Berény, he studied at the Académie Julian in Paris. He made a name for himself in France in the mid-1920s, particularly for his lithographs and illustrations. He published L'heure exquise, a series of erotic engravings, followed by Le pays à mon goût. His favourite subjects were the circus, balls and brothels. His real fame came with an album of lithographs entitled Dancings. Among the works he illustrated were Chéri and La Vagabonde by Colette, L'Europe galante by Paul Morand and Le Cirque by Ramón Gómez de la Serna, published by gallery owners Madeleine and Pierre Trémois. He was associated with the Hungarian cartoonist Alex Szekely. In the 1930s, he also worked for fashion magazines such as the English edition of Vogue, the American rival Harper's Bazaar and the Gazette du Bon Ton. An engraver, watercolourist and costume designer, this artist also collaborated with Elsa Schiaparelli on numerous occasions, including advertising campaigns for perfumes, the creation of fabrics and even a portrait of the couturier. Mobilised at the start of the war, he was demobilised the following year and left for Biarritz. After passing through Spain, he returned to New York with his wife shortly afterwards and settled in 57th Street, continuing his collaborations and illustrations with the fashion world. In the early 1950s, Marcel Vertès enjoyed a high profile in artistic circles, justified by a talent often described as exceptional. His drawings were characterised by a great economy of line and colour, and he also produced illustrations in black and white. It was during this period that he worked on John Huston's Moulin Rouge as costume designer and set designer. He won two Oscars for this film. He moved back to Paris in the late 1950s and died there in 1961. He is buried in the Père-Lachaise cemetery (90th division).