Erté: Romain de Tirtoff 1892–1990

Romain de Tirtoff (1892-1990), who changed his name to Erté (‘R’ and ‘T’ in French) when he left his native St Petersburg for Paris in 1912, became one of the most sought-after artists of the twentieth century. His illustrations for Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue remain classics of the genre, while his work as stage, costume and fashion designer in Europe and America combined an eye for fashion and elegance with a sense of theatricality. In the early days Erté worked closely with the couturier Paul Poiret, before producing numerous designs for the revues and shows that were so popular at the time, as well as for film with his work for MGM. Mata Hari, Lillian Gish, Anna Pavlova and George Balanchine were just some of those whose costumes were designed by Erté.

This paperback adaptation of the book that accompanied an exhibition at the Hermitage Museum is published to coincide with an exhibition at the Grosvenor Gallery in central London in November 2017. With text by the late art critic Brian Sewell, New York-based journalist Morgan Falconer, Estorick Collection owner Michael Estorick, Hermitage curator Mikhail Dedinkin, and the singer Barbra Streisand.