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.
$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
La Princesse Lointaine, Original Gouache on Paper, Hand Signed, 1929, Art Deco
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
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
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
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
Beyla Original Gouache on Paper, Art Deco Style, Framed, Circa 1950
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: Porteurs d' Eventails, Signed 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
The Dancer Tempera Painting by Erté, Contemporary, Signed, 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
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
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
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
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...
Gouache, Paper
Masc Regis Tempera Painting by Erté, Contemporary, Signed, 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
Cosi Fan Tutte Fleurdelise, Original Gouache on Paper, Signed, 25x20 in.
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
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
$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
$7,000
H 26.25 in W 26 in D 1.5 in
Charles Ragland Bunnell 1939 WPA Man His Search for God Modernist Painting
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
This powerful 1939 WPA-era work by American modernist Charles Ragland Bunnell, titled Man in His Search for God, is a deeply expressive figurative painting that explores themes of sp...
Gouache
$1,776
H 18.51 in W 13.39 in D 0.89 in
Framed Art Nouveau Period Painting A Greek Love Affair Theseus And Ariadne
By Antoine Calbet
Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
Follower of Antoine Calbet. French ( b.1860 - d.1944 ). Theseus and Ariadne, Circa 1890 - 1910. Mixed Media. Watercolour, Gouache & Pastel Image size 16.5 inches x 11.2 inches ( ...
Paper, Pastel, Watercolor, Gouache
$27,200Sale Price|20% Off
H 19.62 in W 14.75 in
Art Deco Horses and Nude Figures, Gouache on Paper, Framed, 1930s
By Bela Kadar
Located in Miami, FL
This work is an exceptional example of Kádár's mature Cubist style. It's effortlessly designed around a complex composition of nude men and women tending to horses in a surreal landscape with Greek columns, friezes and marshmello clouds set against a rich blue saturated sky. Kádár was a Hungarian painter influenced by Der Blaue Reiter...
Paper, Gouache
$480Sale Price|50% Off
H 13.51 in W 15.48 in
Mid-20th Century Framed Cherry Blossom Drawing in Pencil and Gouache
Located in London, GB
'Cherry Blossoms in Japan', pencil, ink and gouache on card stock, French School (Mid 20th Century). Cherry blossoms (Sakura) symbolise springtime, a time of renewal and the fleeting...
Pencil, Gouache, Ink
$480Sale Price|50% Off
H 15.75 in W 17.72 in
20th Century Framed International Bar Drawing in Pencil, Ink, Gouache
Located in London, GB
'International Bar, pencil, ink and gouache on card stock by an unnamed artist of the French School (20th Century). This appears to be a fantastical port visit of the artist's imagination. It is very lively in colour and in subject. The artwork was discovered in Paris along with several others of the same character, most likely by the same person. It depicts the entryway of a brightly lit Asian bar...
Pencil, Gouache, Ink
Israeli Judaica Rabbi Expressionist Gouachel Painting
By Adolf Adler
Located in Surfside, FL
size includes frame Adolf Adler 1917 - 1996 Adolf Adi Adler was born in Romania in 1917. Attended the Art College of Kluj Romania in 1950. (in Satu Mare, original home city of the Sa...
Paper, Gouache
$6,500
H 29.5 in W 21.25 in
Fashion Illustration of Elegant woman in Bob Mackie dress perhaps for Cher
By Michaele Vollbracht
Located in Miami, FL
Most likely done for Cher. Gouache and watercolor on Arches paper. There is some minor undulation of the paper suface but only visible under raking light. Nicely framed and read...
Watercolor, Gouache
$10,000
H 10 in W 7.5 in D 1 in
Art Nouveau Illustration Women and Children in the Woods
Located in Miami, FL
Complex Art Nouveau patterns intertwined with gracefull figures define this work by American Artist and illustrator, teacher and lecturer Mildred Bailey Carpenter. Signed in cartouc...
Gouache, Paper, Board
$2,800
H 13.25 in W 11.25 in D 0.5 in
Adolf Dehn - Haitian Scene #7 Signed Mid Century modern painting, Assoc AA label
By Adolf Dehn
Located in New York, NY
Adolf Arthur Dehn Haitian Scene #7, ca. 1951 Watercolor gouache, hand signed; framed with AAA Gallery label verso Signed on the front bearing the original label on the verso of Dehn'...
Mixed Media, Watercolor, 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
$500
H 36 in W 28 in D 0.5 in
Mid Century Gouache and Oil Pastel Figurative Painting 1960s Bay Area Female Art
By Gloria Dudfield
Located in Arp, TX
Gloria Dudfield Yellow Purple Figure 1960s Oil Pastel and Gouache on Paper 36"x28" unframed $800 *Custom framing available for additional charge. Please ...
Paper, Oil Pastel, 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