BACK TO BIO'S

Erte (Romain de Tirtoff), 1892 -1990

Raised as a child of the social elite, "Erte" moved to France at the age of 18 to work in the worldÕs center of art and fashion. Beginning his career under Paul Poiret, the most respected couturier in Paris at the time, Erte went on to work for HarperÕs Bazaar for twenty-two years where he created more than 240 covers.

His reputation earned him the patronage of Mata Hari, Pavlova and Mrs. William Randolph Hearst as he became a major contributor to the fashions of the twentieth century. Erte began his work with the fine print media in the 1970Õs, publishing more than 180 of his designs through the Circle Fine Art Corporation. In 1979, the Smithsonian Institution organized a retrospective of his work which traveled to many major museums across the U.S. and Canada.