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.
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 ...
Paper, Gouache
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...
Paper, Gouache
$6,400Sale Price|20% Off
1910's Art Deco Erte Gouache Painting Original Hand Signed Rare French Costume
By Erté
Located in Buffalo, NY
A rare original signed Art Deco gouache on paper by Erte (Romain de Tirtoff) . This stunning theatrical costume design is signed Erte at the lower right. The piece is 20 by 18 fram...
Gouache, Archival Paper, Pencil
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...
Paper, Gouache
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...
Paper, Gouache
$32,000Sale Price|20% Off
La Princesse Lointaine: Porteurs d' Eventails (original gouache on paper)
By Erté
Located in Aventura, FL
Original on Gouache on paper. Hand signed on front; signed, titled, dated with dedication on verso by Erte. Stamped "Composition originale". Frame size 29 x 24.5 inches. Artwork s...
Gouache
Erté, Raspoutine, troisieme mannequin, unique gouache, hand signed
By Erté
Located in Chatsworth, CA
A unique, original gouache on paper by cabaret costume designer, Erté, also known as Romain de Tirtoff. Created in 1959 for the cabaret show, Folies Pigalle. From the private collect...
Gouache
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...
Paper, Gouache
$32,000Sale Price|20% Off
LA PRINCESSE LOINTAINE: LES FEMMES DE MILISSINDE
By Erté
Located in Aventura, FL
Original on Gouache on paper. Hand signed on front; signed, titled, dated with dedication on verso. Stamped "Composition originale". Frame size 30.5 x 26.5 inches. Artwork is in e...
Gouache
The Dancer - Tempera by Erté - 1970s
By Erté
Located in Roma, IT
The Dancer is a modern artwork realized in 1970s by Erté (Romain de Tirtoff). Mixed clored tempera on paper. Hand signed on the lower margin. Provenance: Coll. G. Carandente, Roma...
Tempera
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...
Paper, Gouache
Masc Regis - Tempera by Erté - 1970s
By Erté
Located in Roma, IT
Masc Regis is a modern artwork realized in 1970s by Erté (Romain de Tirtoff). Mixed clored tempera on paper. Hand signed on the lower margin. Provenance: Coll. G. Carandente, Roma...
Tempera
Érte, "Les chatters, deuxieme version", unique gouache, hand signed
By Erté
Located in Chatsworth, CA
A unique, original gouache on paper by Érte, also known as Romain de Tirtoff. Érte was a vastly diverse artist who excelled in an array of fields including fashion, jewelry, graphic ...
Gouache
$2,360Sale Price|68% Off
Erté, Paysan Garçon, unique gouache, hand signed
By Erté
Located in Chatsworth, CA
A unique, original gouache on paper by Erté, also known as Romain de Tirtoff. Erté was a vastly diverse artist who excelled in an array of fields including fashion, jewelry, graphic ...
Gouache
Phi-Phi, rideau - Phidias - Premier acte fait pour les Bouffes-Parisiens
By Erté
Located in Chatsworth, CA
This piece is a unique, original gouache on paper by Erte, also known as Romain de Tirtoff. Erte was a vastly diverse artist who excelled in an array of fields including fashion, jew...
Gouache
Erté, "Costume pour le Raspoutine, " unique gouache, hand signed
By Erté
Located in Chatsworth, CA
This piece is a unique, original gouache on paper by Erte, also known as Romain de Tirtoff. It was created in 1957 as a costume design for a cabaret show and is from the private coll...
Gouache
$2,962Sale Price|25% Off
Cosi Fan Tutte Fleurdelise (original gouache on paper)
By Erté
Located in Aventura, FL
Unique, one of a kind original gouache on paper from Harper's Bazar series. Hand signed lower front by Erte; titled with studio catalog number on verso. Sheet size 15 x 10.5 inch...
Gouache
$2,962Sale Price|25% Off
BEYLA (ORIGINAL GOUCHE)
By Erté
Located in Aventura, FL
Unique, one of a kind original gouache on paper from Harper's Bazar series. Hand signed lower front by Erte; titled top front with studio catalog number on verso. Sheet size 10.7...
Gouache
Final - La Gamme - Russian Art Deco Fashion Design
By Erté
Located in London, GB
ERTE (Romain de Tirtoff) 1892-1990 St. Petersburg 1892-1990 (Russian/French) Title: Final - La Gamme Technique: Original Hand Signed Gouache on paper size: 31.4 x 15.4 cm / 12.4...
Gouache
$2,268,000Sale Price|20% Off
H 38.5 in W 29.25 in
Kees Van Dongen Circus Performers 1900s Vintage Vibrant Figure Fauvist Signed
By Kees van Dongen
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Les Artistes du Cirque" is an original painting in ink, watercolor, and gouache on paper by leading Fauvist artist Kees Van Dongen, signed in the lower right. In the piece, two circus performers stand against against a wall. On the left, a pale woman in a blue leotard with red flowers on the shoulder stands with her arms crossed, looking out at the viewer. The painter fills in her tights with delicate white brushstrokes, lending them an almost iridescent appearance. Her strawberry blond hair is piled on top of her hair according to the fashion of the period. On the right, an African man stands in a vivid orange toga, looking somewhere off to the left. His feet are clad in bright white shoes...
Paper, Ink, Watercolor, Gouache
$18,000
H 24 in W 18 in
Original Painting. Colliers Magazine Cover Published 1933 Wedding Illustration
By Antonio Petruccelli
Located in New York, NY
Original Painting. Colliers Magazine Cover Published 1933 Wedding Illustration Antonio Petruccelli (1907 - 1994) The Wedding Colliers published, June 17, 1933 17 1/4 X 11 1/2 inches (sight) Framed 23 1/4 X 17 1/2 inches Gouache on board Signed lower right BIOGRAPHY: Antonio Petruccelli (1907-1994) began his career as a textile designer. He became a freelance illustrator in 1932 after winning several House Beautiful cover illustration contests. In addition to 24 Fortune magazine covers, four New Yorker covers, several for House Beautiful, Collier’s, and other magazines he did numerous illustrations for Life magazine from the 1930s – 60s. ‘Tony was Mr. Versatility for Fortune. He could do anything, from charts and diagrams to maps, illustrations, covers, and caricatures,’ said Francis Brennan, the former art director for Fortune. Over the course of his career, Antonio won several important design awards, designing a U.S. Postage Stamp Commemorating the Steel Industry and designing the Bicentennial Medal...
Gouache, Board
$879Sale Price|20% Off
H 5.5 in W 2.5 in D 0.5 in
19th Century Italian Miniature Painting The Madonna & Child, Signed original
By J. Canava
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Madonna & Child by J. Canava, Italian late 19th century miniature painting on ceramic, framed within velvet inset and frame image measures 3.2...
Gouache
Chanteuse Esagmole
By Eller (Lucien Roudier)
Located in Los Angeles, CA
LUCIEN ROUDIER ELLER 1894-1940 “CHANTEUSE ESPAGNOLE” MIXED MEDIA, SIGNED FRENCH, C.1925 27.25 X 38.5 INCHES Lucien Roudier Eller 1894-1940 It is thought the name Eller was a combina...
Watercolor, Gouache
$185
H 16 in W 12 in D 0.13 in
A Striking 1940s Fashion Study of a Women’s Hat & Coat, Marshall Field & Co.
Located in Chicago, IL
A striking, vintage early 1940s fashion study featuring a stylish young woman dressed in an elegantly designed hat and coat, most likely a study for a print advertisement illustratio...
Watercolor, Pencil, Paper
$1,319Sale Price|40% Off
H 17.6 in W 14.06 in
Church of Saint-Nicolas du Chardonnet in Paris
By Lucien Génin
Located in London, GB
'The Church of Saint-Nicolas du Chardonnet, Paris', gouache on art paper by Lucien Génin (circa 1930s). In Paris' 5th Arrondissement the site in which Saint-Nicolas du Chardonnet is ...
Paper, Gouache
$4,468
H 56 in W 36.5 in
Tree and Courtyard - 20th Century Painting with Tree and Buildings
By James Lloyd
Located in Kingsclere, GB
Lloyd was born in Alsager, Cheshire, the son of a policeman who had taken up farming. He had worked on his father's farm until the age of 19, when he too joined the police force. Llo...
Ink, Watercolor, Gouache, Pen, Pencil
Emile's Tavern
By Lucien Génin
Located in London, GB
'Emile's Tavern', gouache on paper (circa 1930s), by Lucien Génin. A tavern in French is called a 'guinguette'. With the rise in living standards from the 1860s along with the develo...
Paper, Gouache
Les sisters by Erté
By Erte - Romain de Tirtoff
Located in New Orleans, LA
Erté (Romain de Tirtoff) 1892-1990 Russian-French Les sisters Signed “Erté” (lower right) Gouache on paper Designed for a performance of Moi, J’aime le Music-Hall, Erté’s Les sis...
Paper, Gouache
$2,020
H 18 in W 15.5 in D 1.5 in
'The Dancers', French Late Mid Century Gouache on Textured Paper
Located in Cotignac, FR
Late Mid Century French watercolour and Gouache on handmade paper of a pair of dancers by Damien Hermellin. Signed and dated bottom right. Pres...
Paper, Watercolor, Gouache, Handmade Paper
$2,962Sale Price|25% Off
H 25 in W 20 in D 1 in
Cosi Fan Tutte Fleurdelise (original gouache on paper)
By Erté
Located in Aventura, FL
Unique, one of a kind original gouache on paper from Harper's Bazar series. Hand signed lower front by Erte; titled with studio catalog number on verso. Sheet size 15 x 10.5 inch...
Gouache
$7,000
H 26.25 in W 26 in D 1.5 in
“Man In His Search for God” 1939 Painting by Charles Bunnell Modernist Art
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
This evocative 1939 original painting, titled “Man In His Search for God,” is a rare and powerful work from Charles Bunnell’s acclaimed Black and Blue Series. Executed in ink wash or...
Gouache
Sold
H 12.5 in W 10.5 in D 1.25 in
Art Deco Original Costume Design Crystal Headdress Gouache Painting signed Erté
By Erté
Located in New York, NY
This captivating original gouache painting, signed by the iconic Art Deco artist Erté, features a stunning headdress design that exemplifies his unparalleled vision and creative soph...
Paint
La Prêtresse by Erté
By Erté
Located in New Orleans, LA
Erté (Romain de Tirtoff) 1892-1990 Russian-French La Prêtresse - Danseuse sacréeThe Priestess - Sacred Dancer Signed "Erté" (lower right) Inscribed "Les Rois des Légendes / N°3 / L...
Silver
MADELEINE (ORIGINAL GOUCHE)
By Erté
Located in Aventura, FL
Unique, one of a kind original gouache on paper from Harper's Bazar series. Hand signed lower front by Erte; titled top front with studio catalog number on verso. Sheet size 10.7...
Gouache
UNTITLED (ORIGINAL GOUCHE)
By Erté
Located in Aventura, FL
Unique, one of a kind original gouache on paper from Harper's Bazar series. Hand signed lower front by Erte with studio catalog number on verso. Sheet size 10.75 x 7.75 inches. ...
Gouache
MADELEINE (ORIGINAL GOUCHE)
By Erté
Located in Aventura, FL
Unique, one of a kind original gouache on paper from Harper's Bazar series. Hand signed lower front by Erte; titled top front with studio catalog number on verso. Sheet size 10.7...
Gouache
GRETA (ORIGINAL GOUCHE)
By Erté
Located in Aventura, FL
Unique, one of a kind original gouache on paper from Harper's Bazar series. Hand signed lower front by Erte; titled with studio catalog number on verso. Sheet size 10.75 x 7.75 i...
Gouache
CLAUDINE LILIANE (ORIGINAL GOUCHE)
By Erté
Located in Aventura, FL
Unique, one of a kind original gouache on paper from Harper's Bazar series. Hand signed lower front by Erte; titled top front with studio catalog number on verso. Sheet size 10.7...
Gouache
GERMAINE (ORIGINAL GOUCHE)
By Erté
Located in Aventura, FL
Unique, one of a kind original gouache on paper from Harper's Bazar series. Hand signed lower front by Erte; titled top front with studio catalog number on verso. Sheet size 10.7...
Gouache
UNTITLED (ORIGINAL GOUCHE)
By Erté
Located in Aventura, FL
Unique, one of a kind original gouache on paper from Harper's Bazar series. Hand signed lower front by Erte with studio catalog number on verso. Sheet size 10.75 x 7.75 inches. ...
Gouache
GINETTE (ORIGINAL GOUCHE)
By Erté
Located in Aventura, FL
Unique, one of a kind original gouache on paper from Harper's Bazar series. Hand signed lower front by Erte; titled top front with studio catalog number on verso. Sheet size 10.7...
Gouache
LA PRINCESSE LOINTAINE: LES FEMMES DE MILISSINDE
By Erté
Located in Aventura, FL
Original gouache on paper. Hand signed on front; signed, titled, dated and dedicated on verso. Stamped "Composition originale". Sheet size 15 x 11 inches. Frame size 30.5 x 26.5...
Gouache, Paper
Sold
H 20 in W 18 in
1910's Art Deco Erte Gouache Painting Original Hand Signed Rare French Nude
By Erté
Located in Buffalo, NY
A rare original signed Art Deco gouache on paper by Erte (Romain de Tirtoff) . This stunning nude in a costume design is signed Erte. The piece is 19 by 17 framed. It comes in a s...
Gouache, Archival Paper, Pencil