Centennial of Art Deco Celebrating the Father of Art Deco, Erté Exhibition at North Beach Art Gallery
Erté 90th Birthday Retrospective Exhibition Birthday Program Cover Photograph, Exhibition November10, 1982-January 3, 1983
North Beach Art Gallery exhibition of the world's only complete bronze sculpture collection by Erté.
Prior to being crowned as the Father of Art Deco, Erté was born Romain de Tirtoff into an esteemed family in St. Petersburg, Russia in November of 1892. He was expected to proceed in the footsteps of a long line of military aristocrats dating back to the 16th century. He was not interested; it was his passion and ambition to create art that inspired him to move to Paris in 1912, much to his father’s dismay. For this reason, that Romain de Tirtoff changed his name using the French pronunciation of his initials to save his family from any shame, thus he went by his pseudo name, Erté.
Erté set his sights on the United States because of the war in France. He began sending drawings to Cosmopolitan, Ladies Home Journal, Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. Soon thereafter, Harper’s Bazaar contracted him exclusively and a 22-year collaboration began. Erté’s Art was so fascinating that by 1918 his designs were influencing designers across New York more than any other source and is what won him opportunities on Broadway and Hollywood. Many of these illustrations were used to be later cast into his bronze sculptures.
Then by 1967, at the age of 75, came the graphic works that further bestowed him notoriety over the international world of arts. Erté’s first exhibition in the United States was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City. They purchased the complete exhibition which was a first for a living artist. He created lithographs, serigraphs, and bronze sculptures. This resurgence of a wider audience led him to reintroduce the world to art deco. He also commenced in a new medium to him, bronze, to recreate his mostly his earlier works which the complete collection now on exhibit at North Beach Art Gallery.
North Beach Art Gallery is exhibiting a privately held collection of 205 works. This Privately held collection encompasses the world's only complete bronze sculpture collection, the renowned Numerals and Alphabet suites, medallions, and objects d’ art. The bronze, being the highlight of the collection robustly includes 146 sculptures with an Artist Proof that had no editions cast. Erté was extremely proud of this body of work. Erté said, “An additional gratification that working in bronze gives me comes from the permanence of the medium. I hope that archeologists of the future unearth the artifacts of the twentieth century, one of my bronzes will be uncovered. Even if they won’t know who the artist was, I am pleased to know that my work will remain long after I am gone.”
Erté was truly the pioneer of the Art Deco Movement. His original works grace the permanent collections of prestigious museums around the world including New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian Institution and London's Victoria & Albert Museum. He was always immersed in the creative process to his last days. At his death aged 98 in 1990, few 20th-century artists could be said to have their work embraced by trends throughout art, fashion, and theatre as Erté had. Gallery owner, Brooke Trace said "It is time to celebrate the centennial of Art Deco by recognizing Erté as the Father of this art movement at North Beach Art Gallery with this spectacular private collection."
Brooke Trace
North Beach Art Gallery DBA
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WATCH NOW: Erte Father of Art Deco, Private 205 Piece Collection - North Beach Art Gallery at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AVkpgBYr3U
1 http://nobegallery.com
2 https://www.nobegallery.com/erte
3 https://www.nobegallery.com/erte-bronze-sculptures