The property ꦰof Monsieur René Gola, former director of the Casino ♌de Paris

Sotheby’s, London, 22 October 1987, Lot 944 (i)

The present work, together with lots 513-521, forms part of Freddie’s joyous collection of works on paper by Erté. Widely celebrated as one of the icons of Art Deco, Erté had a profound impact on the realms of 20th-century fashion, art, theatre, film and interior design. A pseudonym for Romain de Tirtoff (from the French pronunciation of his initials), he was born in St Petersburg in 1892 into an aristocratic Russian family. Growing up in a culturally vibrant enviℱronment, he was exposed to the flourishing Russian opera and ballet scenes, which greatly influenced his later work. Erté had no intention of following his family’s military traditions. Instead, at the age of 20, he moved to Paris with the aspiration of becoming an artist.

From the early 1920s, Erté’s artistic fame was on an international footing, and he was highly sought after in the world of theatrical extravaganzas and variety performances on both sides of the Atlantic, working for renowned venues like the Moulin Rouge, Folies Bergères, Bataclan, A♋lhambra, Bal Tabarin, the Opéra de Paris and Broadway. His gouache works brought vital enrichment to contemporary theatre, combining glamour, luxury and an idealised form of female beauty.