Erté Art
Russian, 1892-1990
Born Romain de Tirtoff (1892–1990) in St. Petersburg, Russia, to an aristocratic family, the artist known as Erté — a pseudonym derived from the French pronunciation of his initials — was a Renaissance man of the art and design world. He worked in graphic arts, interior design, fashion, jewelry and set design for the stage and silver screen, becoming a leader of the Art Deco style.
Moving to Paris in 1912, Erté worked as a fashion designer under couturier Paul Poiret before securing a job with Harper’s Bazaar as a cover artist. Over 22 years, Erté created more than 240 magazine covers alongside his ongoing work in fashion design.
Extending his prolific career into theater sets, costumes, prints and lithographs, Erté became one of the most famous artists of the era. His style — a combination of the nature-inspired flourishes of Art Nouveau and bold, geometric linework — directly contributed to the birth of Art Deco, earning him the nickname “the Father of Art Deco.”
After a lull of creative production in the 1940s and 1950s, Erté reentered the public eye in the 1960s, when a renewed interest in Art Deco had taken shape.
Creating colorful lithographs, bold serigraphs (silk-screen prints) and bronze sculptures, he contributed to a resurgence of the style in France and beyond. This late-life acclaim for his art led to exhibitions in museums and galleries all over the world as well as his first published monograph in 1970. That same year he was awarded the title of Chevalier du Mérite Artistique et Cultural and in 1976 was named Officier des Arts et Lettres by the French government.
Today, Erté’s works are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and LACMA in Los Angeles.
On 1stDibs, browse a collection of Erté art, including fine art prints, paintings and other works.
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Artist: Erté
Recognized Seller Listings
Ermine Brocade, 1987
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Ermine Brocade is an expertly crafted, embossed serigraph on black paper with foil stamping and an image size of 27 x 25 inches. From the edition of 580, the art is numbered 24/300 a...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Screen, Paper
Demi Mondaine à la Mode, 1911
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
'Demi mondaine à la Mode is a very early drawing by Erté, pencil on card, approximately 6.25 x 4.75 inches and framed in a classic, gold-tone frame. Signed i...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Pencil, Paper
Lyre, 1990
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Lyre is an expertly crafted, embossed serigraph on black paper with foil stamping and an image size of 28.5 x 23.5 inches. From the edition of 650, the art is numbered 161/300 and es...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Screen, Paper
Copacabana
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Copacabana presents Erté's vision of fantasy, splendor, and femininity in a statuesque model wearing a cabaret costume. The gown is noted for its luxuriant richness and design. Softe...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Bronze
Troisemmè Dame, 1919
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Troisemmè Dame from 1919 is a gouache painting on paper, 12 x 9.5 inches, framed in a custom, closed-corner, Art Deco frame to 20.25 x 18 inches. Signed recto 'Erté' mid lower right ...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Gouache, Paper
La Pendule (Au Réveil de Passé), 1923
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
La Pendule from Au Réveil de Passé was created in 1923 and is a gouache on paper measuring approximately 15 x 10.75 inches and framed in a custom, closed-corner Art Deco...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Gouache, Paper
Daydream, 1986
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Daydream is an expertly crafted, embossed serigraph on paper with foil stamping and an image size of 11.5 x 25.5 inches. From the edition of 418, the art is numbered 83/300 and signe...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Screen, Paper
Untitled Fashion Design, 1920
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Untitled (Fashion Design) was created for Harper's Bazar and appeared in the February, 1920 edition of the magazine. This is a gouache painting on tissue paper measuring approximately 10 x 6.5 inches and framed in a custom, closed-corner Art Deco...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Gouache, Paper
Roaring Twenties
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Erté is largely credited with creating the look of the Jazz Age. The 'Roaring Twenties' is a phrase used to describe the 1920s, principally in North America, but also in London and P...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Bronze
Les Rois des Lègendes, Costume pour femme ésclave, 1919
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Les Rois des Lègendes, Costume pour femme ésclave from 1919 is a gouache painting on black paper, 10.75 x 9 inches, framed in a custom, closed-corner, Art Deco frame, 24 x 20 inches....
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Gouache, Paper
Martha, Act I (Chicago Opera), 1925
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Martha, Act I (Chicago Opera) from 1925 is a gouache on paper measuring approximately 9 x 7 inches and framed in a custom, closed-corner frame. Signed recto 'Erté' mid-right and stamped with Erte's Villa Excelsior block stamp and 'Composition originale' verso. Annotated in fountain pen verso 'No 659 Martha I acte Pour Madame Ganna Walska...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Gouache, Paper
The Treasures of Indo-China, 1922
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
The Treasures of Indo-China, created in 1922, is a gouache on paper, 15 x 11.25 inches and framed in a custom, closed-corner Art Deco frame. Signed rec...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Gouache, Paper
Demeter (Les Idoles, Folies Bergère), 1924
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Déméter from Les Idoles, Folies Bergère was created in 1924 and is a gouache on paper measuring approximately 14.75 x 10.5 inches. Framed in a custom, closed-corner Art Deco...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Gouache, Paper
Faubourg St. Honoré
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
The Rue Faubourg St. Honoré is a famous street in Paris's 8th District. While narrow compared to the Champs Elysées, it is considered the capital of Haute Couture due to the presence...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Bronze
Optimism and Pessimism, 1927 (Harper's Bazar Cover - May 1929)
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Optimism and Pessimism, created in 1927, was the cover design for Harper's Bazar in May 1929. This is a gouache painting on board, signed recto 'Erté' lower right in the image, and f...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Gouache, Paper
American Millionairess
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
The inspiration for this sculpture comes from Erté's original costume design entitled "Texas," for the 1917 New York stage production of "The American Millionaires." This spectacular...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Bronze
Chinchilla Sleeves
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Chinchilla Sleeves is based on a 1924 fashion design for Harper's Bazaar that showcased Erté's stunning new wraps and gowns for the upcoming season. A velvet gown edged with chinchil...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Bronze
Mermaid
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Whether in the draping of a silk gown worn by an opera diva, or in the sparkle of an intricately beaded headdress worn by a woman of society, Erté had an exceptionally acute visual memory of every detail of his early design creations. It was no wonder then that his fashion designs were so adeptly applied to the sculpture format.
In Mermaid, we have a fine example of how Erté carried the technical possibilities of the sculpture medium to a new level. This attention to detail added to his legend as one of the Twentieth Century’s foremost artist-designers, with work represented in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Paris Opera House, the Smithsonian Institution and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Through Mermaid, Erté takes us beyond the female form by choosing the intriguing legendary sea creature whose upper body is that of a woman, and whose lower body is that of an aquatic creature. In quintessential Erté style...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Bronze
Le Roi Yvetot, 1919 (no. 227)
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Le Roi Yvetot (no. 227) from 1919 is a gouache painting on tissue paper mounted on board. The image size is 9.25 x 6 inches, framed in a gold-tone frame, 22.5 x 19 inches. Signed recto 'Erté' lower right, in the image and annotated verso, 'Les Rois des Lègendes, No 8, Le Roi Yvetot 227'. Erte name and 'Composition originale' stamps verso.
Le Roi Yvetot is a design by Erte for the 1919 theater production of Les Rois des Lègendes.
The King of Yvetot
William Makepeace Thackeray: 1811 –1863
There was a king of Yvetot, Of whom renown hath little said,
Who let all thoughts of glory go, And dawdled half his days a-bed;
And every night, as night came round, By Jenny, with a nightcap crowned,
Slept very sound: Sing ho, ho, ho! and he, he, he!
That's the kind of king for me.
And every day it came to pass, That four lusty meals made he;
And, step by step, upon an ass, Rode abroad, his realms to see;
And wherever he did stir, What think you was his escort, sir?
Why, an old cur. Sing ho, ho, ho! and he, he, he!
If e'er he went into excess, 'Twas from a somewhat lively thirst;
But he who would his subjects bless, Odd's fish!—must wet his whistle first;
And sofrom every cask they got, Our king did to himself allot,
At least a pot. Sing ho, ho, ho! and he, he, he!
To all the ladies of the land, A courteous king, and kind, was he;
The reason why you'll understand, They named him Pater Patriae.
Each year he called his fighting men, And marched a...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Gouache, Paper
On the Avenue
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
On the Avenue was created originally as a gouache and presents a female figure wearing a typical 1920's flapper outfit. During the 1920s, fashion for young women focused less on the ...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Bronze
Sisters
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Sisters was inspired by a gouache painting from 1921 entitled 'Les baisers pervers ou la brune et la blonde' and is a wonderful example of an invention of Erté's from the early 1920s...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Bronze
Cabaret
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Cabaret, so evocative of cabaret-style shows, was a costume design for a 1940 production entitled 'Dream Waltz' by Oscar Strauss, based on a novella from 1905 by Hans Müller-Einingen...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Bronze
Broadway's in Fashion
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Erté, considered by many as the “Father of Art Deco,” often acknowledged that his love for the theater was a great source of creativity and inspiration. He conveyed in his art a drama with which he lived his life – a dream that came from the very innermost expression of his soul. Just like theater has two faces - comedy and tragedy - Erté was a brilliant showman, as well as a quiet man who sometimes would prefer to be left alone. From a young age, he was immersed in the world of opera, ballet, and theater. When he designed costumes and sets for theatrical productions, it was a lifelong desire that he was fulfilling.
“Broadway’s in Fashion” is a fitting tribute to the legendary Broadway from a man who pursued the theatrical in everything he did. In 1978, Erté was honored by the Eugene O’Neill Foundation at a gala celebration in New York entitled “Broadway’s in Fashion” for which Erté designed the poster. This led to a CBS-TV film on Erté narrated by the legendary Diana Vreeland, and an exhibition of his costume designs at the Boston Center of the Arts. This sculpture, in scarlet and black, with white gold embellishments, incorporates the elements for which Broadway is best known. Her elegant and confident posture reveals her costume, which is itself an homage to Broadway – the scarlet robe with gold tassels evokes the stage curtain as it rises to reveal the first act, the male and female dancers, energetically giving their all for each performance, and the Greek masks of comedy and tragedy...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Bronze
The Wave
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Originally executed as a fashion illustration for Harper's Bazaar, The Wave presents an anthropomorphic vision of feminine beauty borne from the sea while paying homage to Hokusai’s ...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Bronze
La Mystérieuse
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
La Mystérieuse was inspired by Erté’s design for a wedding gown published in Harper’s Bazar in 1923. Erté wrote, “The name comes from the effect of mystery of this exquisite outfit. ...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Bronze
Golden Fleece
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Erté designed Golden Fleece for a Folies-Bergére scene entirtled "The Golden Fleece" and a 1926 George White's Scandals scene entitled "La Toison d'or." Erté, whose artistic style was influenced in part by a childhood admiration of classic Greek art, was always drawn to a good story with a sense of drama – typified by Greek tragedy.
Catalogue - Erté: The Last Works (Dutton, pgs. 115, 207).
From the total edition of 462; numbered 215/375 (there were also 50 Roman and 37 AP).
Referring to the legend of Jason and the Argonauts, the Golden Fleece sculpture depicts an elegant woman in a classic Greek garment. The curled horns of the ram style her headdress, elegant in appearance and yet fierce in battle. Descending from these horns is the golden fleece itself, its curly mane covering the woman to her toes. Her gown, a gracefully draped toga, is designed to leave one breast bared, in the folkloric tradition of the Amazon tribe of women warriors...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Bronze
Manon (Deuxième Tableau, #7), 1920
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Erté first met the legendary beauty Ganna Walska in 1920 when she contacted him about creating designs for her nascent opera career. He created many desig...
Category
1920s Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Gouache, Paper
Masquerade
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Masquerade is based on an image Erté originally created as a fashion drawing for Harper’s Bazar in 1922.
Catalogue - Erté: The Last Works (Dutton, pgs. 119, 207).
From the total edi...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Bronze
Ornements d'Oreilles, 1929 (#3.542)
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Possibly created as a design for one of Harper's Bazar's 1929 monthly editions, Ornements d'Oreilles (#3.542) is also similar to a design Erté considered for his 'Art to Wear' jewelr...
Category
1920s Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Gouache, Paper
Starfish
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Erté originally created this image as a costume design for the "Fonds de la Mer," a presentation of the Folies Bergere in 1919.
Catalogue - Erté: The Last Works (Dutton, pgs. 108, 2...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Bronze
Lovers and Idol
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Lovers and Idol was featured on the cover of Harper’s Bazar in August, 1917, a very early work in Erte’s collaboration with the magazine. In his sculpt...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Bronze
Untitled Fashion Design, 1919
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Likely a dress design for Henri Bendel or B. Altman, Untitled Fashion Design from 1919 is an iconic early Erté design. Erté's stylized Villa Excelsior name stamp and the 'Composition...
Category
1910s Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Gouache, Paper
Cornucopia
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Cornucopia pays homage to the great goddesses of abundance and fortune, with a modern twist – rather than showing the bounty of the earth overflowing from the horn, this Cornucopia o...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Bronze
Arabian Nights
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
In 1919, Erté began work with the greatest French music-hall star of her day, Gaby Deslys. It was for Ms. Deslys’ appearance in the production of Les Rois des Legendes that Erté crea...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Bronze
Printemps
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Erté originally created this delightful image representing the feminine energy of Spring for a scene in “Les Rois des Legendes” at the Folies Bergère.
Catalogue - Erté: The Last Wor...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Bronze
The Hunting
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
The Hunting is a sculptural interpretation of Autumn, a lithograph from Erté’s The Four Seasons. It represents a beautiful creature – half woman, half animal – wounded by a cruel hun...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Bronze
Asian Princess
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Erté created many costumes and artworks inspired by his travels and experiences with the countries and cultures of the Asian world. In addition, the French music halls which were an ...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Bronze
Henri Bendel Coat, 1915
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Erté created dress and coat designs for Henri Bendel for several years, beginning in 1914. Erté's artistry had a profound effect on women's fashions, beginning with his stint at Poir...
Category
1910s Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Gouache, Paper
Helen of Troy
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Erté’s image of Helen of Troy also exists as a gouache painting and a serigraph. Known as "the face that launched a thousand ships" and as Zeus' daughter, her story is one that is intricately intertwined with many of the Greek gods and goddesses...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Bronze
Motherhood
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Motherhood is based on an image originally created as a costume design for Les Idoles at the Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt in 1924.
Catalogue - Erté: The Last Works (Dutton, pgs. 179, 207...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Bronze
Clip or Broach (No.18.843)
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
This beautiful painting in gouache and gold paint was created as a brooch design in the 1980s.The artwork is signed 'Erté' on the front, and numbered and titled in Erté's hand verso ...
Category
1980s Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Gouache, Paper
Geometry (Earrings)
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Created in the 1980s for Erté's 'Art to Wear' jewelry collection, this gouache painting on paper is signed 'Erté' on the front and titled and annotated on the back in Erté's hand - "...
Category
1980s Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Gouache, Paper
"Mignon" Decca design
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
This design for Decca Records likely dates to the 1950s, and perhaps specifically the 1953 recording with Janine Micheau, conducted by Georges Sébastian. Signed recto 'Erté' mid-righ...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Gouache, Paper
"Lakme" Decca design
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
This design for a Decca recording of Lakme likely dates to the 1950s, and specifically to the 1952 recording with Mado Robin, conductor Georges Sébastian, at the Théâtre National de ...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erté Art
Materials
Gouache, Paper
Les Mamelles de Tirésias.
By Erté
Located in New York, NY
Original publicity lithograph for the opera, Les Mamelles de Tirésias. Signature printed lower right. Paris, 1947. The opera premiered at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 3 June, 1947 ...
Category
1940s Erté Art
Materials
Paper
Erté art for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Erté art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of red, blue, purple and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Erté in screen print, gouache, paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the Art Deco style. Not every interior allows for large Erté art, so small editions measuring 5 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Alexandre Iacovleff, Robin Morris, and Walter Schnackenberg. Erté art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $100 and tops out at $40,000, while the average work can sell for $3,000.
Artists Similar to Erté
Questions About Erté Art
- What is Erté art?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Erté is a pseudonym for Romain de Tirtoff, an artist who created glamorous illustrations of prosperity and luxury. The clean lines and geometric patterns took inspiration from Japanese prints and Greek pottery. Shop a selection of Erté pieces from some of the world’s top art dealers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Romain de Tirtoff, best known under the pseudonym Erté, is a Russian-born French artist best known for art deco style. Erté worked in a wide array of fields, influencing fashion, costume and interior decor. Erté secured a contract with Harper’s Bazaar in 1915 where he produced fashion illustrations that are still highly coveted by collectors today. Browse a range of Erté work on 1stDibs.