Chez les nues by Erté

Erté (Romain de Tirtoff)
1892-1990 | Russian-French

Chez les nues
(Home of the Nudes)

Signed “Erté” (lower right)
Inscribed "N°18.398 / Chez les Nues / 3e aspect du décor / Composition originale"(en verso)
Gouache and gold on paper

This original gouache painting, conceived by the imaginative Erté, bears the title Chez les nues or Home of the nudes. It captures the quintessential essence of Art Deco glamour and the whimsical artistry that endears the artist's works to admirers. This particular masterpiece was specially crafted for Roland Petit, a cherished confidant of Erté, and stands as a testament to the pioneering creativity of the man often hailed as the "Father of Art Deco."

Roland Petit stands as a transformative figure in 20th-century ballet, renowned for his groundbreaking choreography that earned him widespread acclaim and celebrity status. Erté's artistic creations for Petit enhanced the performances, infusing them with even more transcendent beauty and adding a mesmerizing visual spectacle to the dancers gracing the stage. In this gouache, Erté designs a backstage dressing room, complete with four nude performers sitting at mirrored vanities. Each figure appears totally nude with the exception of a dazzling diamond-encrusted headpiece. Erté’s dramatic vision includes further bejeweled details and the mirrors and wallpaper and vanities each drip with art deco diamonds.

The alluring Art Deco tableau is completed by an apropos proscenium pediment—a fully nude gold bust that merges the classic beauty of the Venus-like form with the modernity of a Deco-era dress form. Artful and over-the-top, this dressing room design embodies the clever creativity and daring sensuality of Erté’s oeuvre. 

Russian-French visionary Romain de Tirtoff (1892-1990), popularly known as Erté, began his artistic journey in the culturally rich city of St. Petersburg, where he developed an early fondness for ballet and theatrical performances. He moved to Paris in 1912 to study architecture, and quickly found his creative niche in crafting fantastical costumes for the city’s bustling nightlife. Erté‘s expertise, refined under the guidance of the famed Paul Poiret, captured the attention of Harper’s Bazaar, marking the beginning of a significant partnership that spanned from 1915 to 1936. The artist also designed sets for notable cinematic masterpieces including Ben Hur and La Bohème, and created sets and costumes for cabarets, operas and other performances at the Folies-Bergères, Bal Tabarin, the Théâtre du Bataclan and Le Casino de Paris. Erté was a trailblazer whose colorful creations shaped the groundbreaking Art Deco era more than any other, leaving an indelible mark on the history of art and design. His artworks reside in prestigious museum collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Painted 1974

Paper: 7 1/4” high by 12” wide
Frame: 12 3/4” high by 17 1/4” wide by 3/4" deep

Exhibitions:
M.S. Rau, New Orleans, Erté and the Era of Art Deco, October 14, 2023 - January 3, 2024

Provenance:
Estate of the artist, Boulogne, 1990
Private collection, Paris
M.S. Rau, New Orleans