Chez les nues pour Roland Petit II by Erté

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

Chez les nues II
(Home of the Nudes)

Signed “Erté” (lower right)
Inscribed "N°18.396 / Chez le Nues / Deuxième 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 essence of Art Deco glamour and the playful artistry that makes the artist's works so adored. This particular creation was crafted for Roland Petit, a trusted friend of Erté's, and it serves as a testament to the pioneering creativity of the man often referred to as the "Father of Art Deco."

Roland Petit was a transformative figure in 20th-century ballet whose innovative choreography earned great renown and celebrity. Erté’s creations for Petit made the performances even more transcendent, adding greater visual spectacle to the dancers onstage. 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 striking purple ombré feathered headpiece. Erté’s dramatic vision is realized in a myriad of purple hues, with feathered swags mimicking the colors of the dancer’s headpieces. 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