Romain de Tirtoff
Encyclopedia
Romain de Tirtoff was a Russia
n-born French
artist
and designer known by the pseudonym
Erté, the French pronunciation of his initials, R.T. He was a diversely-talented 20th century artist and designer who flourished in an array of fields, including fashion
, jewellery
, graphic arts
, costume
and set design
for film, theatre, and opera, and interior decor
.
, to a distinguished family with roots tracing back to 1548. His father, Pyotr Ivanovich Tyrtov, served as an admiral in the Russian Fleet.
In 1910–12, Romain moved to Paris to pursue a career as a designer. He made this decision despite strong objections from his father, who wanted Romain to continue the family tradition and become a naval officer. Romain assumed his pseudonym to avoid disgracing the family. He worked for Paul Poiret
from 1913-1914. In 1915, he secured his first substantial contract with Harper's Bazaar
magazine, and thus launched an illustrious career that included designing costumes and stage sets. Between 1915–1937, Erte designed over 200 covers for Harper's Bazaar, and his illustrations would also appear in such publications as Illustrated London News
, Cosmopolitan
, Ladies' Home Journal
, and Vogue
.
Erté is perhaps most famous for his elegant fashion designs which capture the art deco
period in which he worked. One of his earliest successes was designing apparel for the French dancer Gaby Deslys
who died in 1920. His delicate figures and sophisticated, glamorous designs are instantly recognisable, and his ideas and art still influence fashion into the 21st century. His costumes, programme designs, and sets were featured in the Ziegfeld Follies
of 1923, many productions of the Folies Bergère, and George White's Scandals
. On Broadway, the celebrated French chanteuse Irène Bordoni
wore Erté's designs.
In 1925, Louis B. Mayer
brought him to Hollywood to design sets and costumes for the silent film Paris
. There were many script problems, so Erté was given other assignments to keep him busy. Hence, he designed for such films as Ben-Hur
, The Mystic
, Time, The Comedian, and Dance Madness
. In 1920 he designed the set and costumes for the movie Restless Sex starring Marion Davies
and financed by William Randolph Hearst
.
By far, his best known image is Symphony in Black, depicting a tall, slender woman draped in black holding a thin black dog on a leash. The influential image has been reproduced and copied countless times.
Erté continued working throughout his life, designing revues, ballets, and operas. He had a major rejuvenation and much lauded interest in his career during the 1960s with the Art Deco revival. He branched out into the realm of limited edition prints, bronzes, and wearable art
.
His work may be found in the collections of several well-known museums, including the Victoria and Albert Museum
and the Metropolitan Museum of Art
and a sizable collection of work by Erté can be found at Museum 1999 in Tokyo.
series Pawn Stars
, the staff of the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop find a bronze copy of Erté's The Dancer in their back storage room, which turns out to be valuable.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n-born French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and designer known by the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Erté, the French pronunciation of his initials, R.T. He was a diversely-talented 20th century artist and designer who flourished in an array of fields, including fashion
Fashion design
Fashion design is the art of the application of design and aesthetics or natural beauty to clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social latitudes, and has varied over time and place. Fashion designers work in a number of ways in designing clothing and accessories....
, jewellery
Jewelry design
Jewelry design is the art or profession of creating, crafting, fabricating, or rendering designs for jewelry. This is an ancient practice of the goldsmith or metalworker that evolved to a billion-dollar industry with the odyssey from ancient cultures into the machine age...
, graphic arts
Graphic arts
A type of fine art, graphic art covers a broad range of art forms. Graphic art is typically two-dimensional and includes calligraphy, photography, drawing, painting, printmaking, lithography, typography, serigraphy , and bindery. Graphic art also consists of drawn plans and layouts for interior...
, costume
Costume design
Costume design is the fabrication of apparel for the overall appearance of a character or performer. This usually involves researching, designing and building the actual items from conception. Costumes may be for a theater or cinema performance but may not be limited to such...
and set design
Scenic design
Scenic design is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers have traditionally come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but nowadays, generally speaking, they are trained professionals, often with M.F.A...
for film, theatre, and opera, and interior decor
Interior design
Interior design describes a group of various yet related projects that involve turning an interior space into an effective setting for the range of human activities are to take place there. An interior designer is someone who conducts such projects...
.
Early life
Tirtoff was born Roman Petrovich Tyrtov (Роман Петрович Тыртов) in Saint PetersburgSaint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, to a distinguished family with roots tracing back to 1548. His father, Pyotr Ivanovich Tyrtov, served as an admiral in the Russian Fleet.
Career
In 1907, he lived one year in Paris. He said about this time "I did not discover Beardsley until when I had already been in Paris for a year".In 1910–12, Romain moved to Paris to pursue a career as a designer. He made this decision despite strong objections from his father, who wanted Romain to continue the family tradition and become a naval officer. Romain assumed his pseudonym to avoid disgracing the family. He worked for Paul Poiret
Paul Poiret
Paul Poiret was a French fashion designer. His contributions to twentieth-century fashion have been likened to Picasso's contributions to twentieth-century art.-Early life and career:...
from 1913-1914. In 1915, he secured his first substantial contract with Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
magazine, and thus launched an illustrious career that included designing costumes and stage sets. Between 1915–1937, Erte designed over 200 covers for Harper's Bazaar, and his illustrations would also appear in such publications as Illustrated London News
Illustrated London News
The Illustrated London News was the world's first illustrated weekly newspaper; the first issue appeared on Saturday 14 May 1842. It was published weekly until 1971 and then increasingly less frequently until publication ceased in 2003.-History:...
, Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan (magazine)
Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...
, Ladies' Home Journal
Ladies' Home Journal
Ladies' Home Journal is an American magazine which first appeared on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States...
, and Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
.
Erté is perhaps most famous for his elegant fashion designs which capture the art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
period in which he worked. One of his earliest successes was designing apparel for the French dancer Gaby Deslys
Gaby Deslys
Gaby Deslys was a dancer, singer, and actress of the early 20th century from Marseilles, France. She selected her name for her stage career. It is an abbreviation of Gabrielle of the Lillies. During the 1910s she was exceedingly popular worldwide, making $4,000 a week in the United States alone...
who died in 1920. His delicate figures and sophisticated, glamorous designs are instantly recognisable, and his ideas and art still influence fashion into the 21st century. His costumes, programme designs, and sets were featured in the Ziegfeld Follies
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
of 1923, many productions of the Folies Bergère, and George White's Scandals
George White's Scandals
George White's Scandals were a long-running string of Broadway revues produced by George White that ran from 1919–1939, modelled after the Ziegfeld Follies. The "Scandals" launched the careers of many entertainers, including W.C. Fields, the Three Stooges, Ray Bolger, Helen Morgan, Ethel Merman, ...
. On Broadway, the celebrated French chanteuse Irène Bordoni
Irène Bordoni
Irène Bordoni was a French singer and a Broadway and film actress.-Early years:Born in Ajaccio, France, from an Italian family, she had been a child actor, performing in Paris on stage and in silent films for a few years, having signed with theatrical agent André Charlot...
wore Erté's designs.
In 1925, Louis B. Mayer
Louis B. Mayer
Louis Burt Mayer born Lazar Meir was an American film producer. He is generally cited as the creator of the "star system" within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in its golden years. Known always as Louis B...
brought him to Hollywood to design sets and costumes for the silent film Paris
Paris (1926 film)
Paris is a silent film, written and directed by Edmund Goulding, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film starred Charles Ray, Douglas Gilmore, and Joan Crawford. Ray stars as a young American millionaire named Jerry who is vacationing in Paris and visits an Apache den, the Birdcage Cafe,...
. There were many script problems, so Erté was given other assignments to keep him busy. Hence, he designed for such films as Ben-Hur
Ben-Hur (1925 film)
Ben-Hur is a 1925 silent film directed by Fred Niblo. It was a blockbuster hit for newly merged Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. This was the second film based on the novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace...
, The Mystic
The Mystic
The Mystic is a 1925 silent drama film directed by Tod Browning, who later directed MGM's Freaks . Aileen Pringle's gowns in the film were by already famous Romain de Tirtoff .-Plot:...
, Time, The Comedian, and Dance Madness
Dance Madness
Dance Madness is a 1926 silent comedy film directed by Robert Z. Leonard based upon a script by Frederica Sagor. The film stars Claire Windsor, Conrad Nagel and Hedda Hopper. The film is lost.-Plot:...
. In 1920 he designed the set and costumes for the movie Restless Sex starring Marion Davies
Marion Davies
Marion Davies was an American film actress. Davies is best remembered for her relationship with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, as her high-profile social life often obscured her professional career....
and financed by William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...
.
By far, his best known image is Symphony in Black, depicting a tall, slender woman draped in black holding a thin black dog on a leash. The influential image has been reproduced and copied countless times.
Erté continued working throughout his life, designing revues, ballets, and operas. He had a major rejuvenation and much lauded interest in his career during the 1960s with the Art Deco revival. He branched out into the realm of limited edition prints, bronzes, and wearable art
Wearable art
Wearable art, also known as Artwear or "art to wear", refers to individually designed pieces of hand-made clothing or jewelry created as fine or expressive art...
.
His work may be found in the collections of several well-known museums, including the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
and the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
and a sizable collection of work by Erté can be found at Museum 1999 in Tokyo.
In popular culture
In "Backroom Brawl", a 2010, second season episode of the American reality televisionReality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
series Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars is an American reality television series on the History Channel, produced in Manhattan by Leftfield Pictures. The series is filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada, where it chronicles the daily activities at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, a 24-hour family business operated by patriarch Richard...
, the staff of the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop find a bronze copy of Erté's The Dancer in their back storage room, which turns out to be valuable.
Writings
- Things I Remember: An Autobiography, Quadrangle/The New York Times Book Co., 1975, ISBN 0-8129-0575-X.
External links
- Obituary New York Times, 22 April 1990
- Erté site (Russian)
- Erte.com
- Erté fashion drawings
- Erte art site
- Ten Dreams Galleries
- Museum1999 in Tokyo
- View signed prints sculptures and originals at Doubletake Gallery