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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
$2,963
H 17 in W 14 in D 1 in
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
$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
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
Au Bar
By Philippe Henri Noyer
Located in Los Angeles, CA
PHILIPPE NOYER "AU BAR" WATERCOLOR, SIGNED FRANCE, C.1960S 25.5 X 19.5 INCHES Philippe Henri Noyer 1917-1985 Philippe Henri Noyer was born on June 28, 1917 in Lyons, France. After a traditional education at the elite Ecole des Roches, Noyer enrolled in the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Lyon. Next he moved to Paris, where he worked in decorative arts and advertising. It was during this time, he discovered his talent for oil painting, officially starting his painting career in 1943. That same year, Noyer met the famed Parisian art deal, Emmanuel David, who would promote his work and career. Noyer produced many portraits, for which he quickly gained an international reputation, but he also painted dream figures in rural or maritime settings, compositions that were classical in technique but surreal in concept. In 1947, Noyer held his first one-man show at the prestigious Drouant-David Gallery in Paris. In 1949 the gallery consigned twenty of Noyer’s paintings to an American art dealer who had agreed to organize an exhibition of them in the United States. However the American dealer sold the paintings at cost, in order cover a gambling debt, to Robert Goldstein...
Watercolor
Do Bee Book of Manners
By Art Seiden
Located in Miami, FL
Grosset & Dunlap, Illustration, Art Seiden was a top children's book illustrator in the 1950' - 1060's Work comes in two parts that are butted together by the artist
Gouache, Ink, Paper
$500
H 17 in W 14 in
Oil Pastel and Gouache Painting, Figurative, Circa 1950s, 14x17
By Donald Stacy
Located in Arp, TX
Donald Stacy "Mark" c.1950s Oil pastel and gouache paint on paper 14x17" unframed Unsigned Came from artist's estate Donald Stacy (1925-2011) New Jersey Studied: Newark School of ...
Paper, Oil Pastel, Gouache
$27,200Sale Price|20% Off
H 19.62 in W 14.75 in
Art Deco Horses and Nude Figures
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
$1,200
H 15 in W 16.5 in
Malcah Zeldis Folk Art Gouache Painting Outsider Circus Trapeze Horse Acrobats
By Malcah Zeldis 1
Located in Surfside, FL
MALCAH ZELDIS Circus, Trapeze Artists, Horse rider and Acrobats gouache on paper Hand signed and dated bottom right. titled in pencil on paper verso. Framed to 15 X 16.5 sheet is 9 ...
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
$383
H 11.82 in W 9.06 in
Graphis International Poster December 1947, magazine cover design by E. Davis
By E Davis
Located in London, GB
E Davis Graphis International Poster, December 1947 Gouache 30 x 23 cm Signed to reverse Provenance: The family of A. E. Halliwell Graphis is a renowned international journal of vi...
Gouache
$1,275
H 10.44 in W 7.09 in D 0.6 in
Early 20th Century French Gouache on Paper, The Frog and The Fisherman
Located in Cotignac, FR
Early 20th Century French gouache and watercolour on paper of a fisherman by Louis Henri Magnat, The painting is signed bottom right and presented in a carved and gilt wood frame und...
Gouache
$590
H 40 in W 28 in
Abstracted Letter Sunset, Vintage Miami Style Colors, Earth Tones Figures
By Natalia Roman
Located in Barcelona, ES
"Abstracted Letter Sunset" is an abstract painting by Spanish artist Natalia Roman. These color field paintings are inspired by both modernist shapes of ...
Acrylic, Gouache, Paper
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
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
Deux Oiseaux
By Erté
Located in Chatsworth, CA
This piece is a unique, original gouache on paper by Erte, also known as Romain de Tirtoff. This piece was created in 1955 as a costume design for a cabaret show, Narcisse. It is fro...
Gouache