*Spelling later changed to Bazaar.
The son of a wealthy Russian Admiral in the Imperial Fleet, Tirtoff took the pseudonym Erté while working as a fashion designer/illustrator in Paris, so as not to disgrace his aristocratic Russian family, which expected Romain to follow in his father’s footsteps as a military officer. His artistic talent was discovered early, and his mother had a dress made after one of Erté's designs he had sketched at the age of five. At age 22 he appeared at a Parisian ball in 1914 clad in a self-designed silver lamé costume, complete with pearl wings and ebony-plumed cape. True.
In 1925, MGM studios (Culver City, CA) brought Erté and his partner, Russian Prince Nicolas Ouroussoff, from Paris to Hollywood, picking up the considerable expenses for both. When their ocean liner arrived in New York, they disembarked with fifteen steamer trunks and three assistants. Erté’s black, white and gray Monte Carlo atelier was reproduced in Culver City. He was treated like a star, installed in a hilltop house in Hollywood, given a chauffeured limousine, two bi-lingual secretaries and was interviewed by the press 200 times.
MGM head Louis B. Mayer, who was known to be intolerant of homosexuals, even invited the couple to his house for dinner. Erté reported that his relationship with Mayer was always pleasant, and Mayer expressed regret when Erté asked to be let out of his contract after designing costumes for just six films. Erté lived with Ouroussoff for nearly twenty years, until the Prince's premature death in 1933. By the 1920s homosexuals in film studio wardrobe, makeup and set departments enjoyed an extraordinary freedom and tolerance, an environment found virtually nowhere else in American industry. It wasn’t just tolerated, but being gay actually carried with it some cachet.
Graphic Art: Symphony in Black
In his 1975 autobiography, Things I Remember, Erté catalogued his homosexual encounters, starting at the age of 13. Readers learned that after the death of Prince Ouroussoff, he had a serious relationship with a champion Danish swimmer and decorator named Axel. Erté’s openness regarding his sexuality was in marked contrast to others in his field at that time.
Erté designing sets and costumes for the Folies-Bergère, the Ziegfeld Follies and the Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. Performers who wore his costumes included Josephine Baker, Anna Pavlova, Mata-Hari and Sarah Bernhardt.
Erté worked up until just a few weeks before his death from kidney problems in 1990, at age 97. Very wealthy by the end of his life, he was building a house in Majorca at the time of his death. During his long career he produced Art Deco designs for furniture, lamps, sculptures, seriographs, lithographs and even playing cards.
Rooms at Chateau de la Sorcere (France), decorated by Erté:
Sources:
Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood – William J. Mann
Who's Who in Gay and Lesbian History
Wikipedia
Photos of interiors at Chateau de la Sorciere: "Fantasy Furniture" by Bruce M. Newman and Alastair Duncan (1989)
Awesome article on one of the most creative designers of the 20th Century! Love the room decoration image! Where did you find it? Also, here's a blog piece our company wrote about his influence on Art Deco: http://blog.lightsonline.com/get-inspired/lights-online-design-inspiration-erte-art-deco/. Thanks for sharing the great information!
ReplyDeleteI was fortunate to have known Erte for the last ten years of his life. I now get to travel the world lecturing on his life as well as other aspects of Art Deco. One mistake in your lovely bography is a common one. Erte never designed for Josephine Baker or Sarah bernhardt for that matter. This was told to me by Erte himself and Miss Baker's son Jean-Claude. Because La Baker performed at the Folies Bergere at the same time Erte was designing for them, everyone assumes he designed for her but he never did.
ReplyDeleteThat's so funny - one of my very, very distant relatives (who had the same first name as me and died the year I was born, and whose mother had the same name and patronymic as my mom) was married to Prince Nicolas Ouroussoff, who also lived in France and died in the early 1930s. For a moment I thought it was the same man! They were certainly related, though. I'm still a bit (pleasantly) shocked! And I've always loved Erté. Now I love him in a bit more personal way XD
ReplyDeleteWhat I find even more peculiar is that erte's website makes no mention of his relationship and just mentions his cat. this gay erasure seems to be common for this era but should be rectified and shared
ReplyDeleteA fascinating and fantastic man, indeed! I am an avid collector of his work. Jx
ReplyDeleteLove his art a very talented man
ReplyDeleteI've loved him since saw his book with the queen of Sheba on the cover. The illustrations in the book we're incredible beautiful.
ReplyDeleteLe flambeau de la sophistication en illustration du style art deco. Erte etait un genie, un esprit des arts decrotifs.
ReplyDelete- Beau Mec a Deauville
As a teenager I had a book of ertes drawings of women in shape of the alphabet.
ReplyDeleteInstead of "The sexual orientation of those featured here did not stand in the way of their achievements", why not state it this way: "The homophobia they faced did not stand in the way of their achievements." In other words, highlight the real issue ie. homophobia:-)
ReplyDelete