Significance

The 146 bronze sculptures form the very heart of the Erté Legacy Collection. Acquired directly from the original publishing galleries, each work is meticulously documented with its original receipts and certificates of authenticity, ensuring unparalleled provenance and integrity.

Among the most extraordinary acquisitions is a group of 42 bronzes, all numbered 4/375 and received before public release. This distinction secured one of the rarest treasures of all: the Artist’s Proof of the Letter F, a unique casting never duplicated into editions. This remarkable acquisition underscores the historic significance of the collection, a cultural treasure that transcends assemblage into true stewardship.

Erté in His Own Words

From ERTÉ Sculptures (1986), Erté reflected:

“An additional gratification that working in bronze gives me comes from the permanence of the medium. I hope that when archaeologists 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.”

These words reveal the eternal vision that guided his work, art not as fleeting recognition, but as an enduring presence preserved in form and beauty.

A Legacy to Steward

The Erté Legacy Collection stands as the world’s only complete privately held bronze collection, assembled with unmatched dedication and vision. To acquire and steward these works is to safeguard the soul of Art Deco itself, ensuring its brilliance continues to inspire.

With the Art Deco Centennial in Paris (2025), this collection emerges not only as an extraordinary artistic achievement but as a once-in-a-lifetime investment opportunity. Its cultural, historical, and financial value converges at this pivotal moment, offering the next steward the rare privilege of carrying forward Erté’s genius into the next century.

Why This Collection Matters

Completeness & Rarity – World’s only complete privately held Erté bronze collection

Pristine Provenance – Original gallery receipts & COAs for every work

Historic Stewardship – Assembled directly from original publishing galleries

Cultural Significance – Erté, father of Art Deco, reshaped 20th-century fashion, stage & design

Centennial Relevance – A landmark opportunity on the eve of Art Deco centennial celebrations

Erte Symphony in Black, Elegance Sculpture

From Paper to Sculpture

Romain de Tirtoff, immortalized by his artistic name Erté, had already defined the visual language of the Jazz Age. His elongated figures and theatrical flair graced more than 240 covers of Harper’s Bazaar and countless stage and costume designs, earning him the enduring title of Father of Art Deco.

Yet, astonishingly, his most enduring achievement would come not in the exuberance of youth, but in the wisdom of age. In his eighties, at a time when most artists retire into reflection, Erté embarked on a new chapter: translating the elegant silhouettes of his illustrations into the timeless form of bronze sculpture. His bronzes stand not merely as decorative objects, but as living testaments to an artist who, even at the close of his life, continued to shape beauty, elegance, and imagination into timeless form.

The Spark of Revival: 1960s–1970s

Following the Second World War, Erté’s refined Art Deco sensibility fell temporarily out of fashion, overshadowed by the austerity of modernism. For two decades, he lived quietly in Paris, his brilliance underappreciated.

But the cultural reawakening of the late 1960s and 1970s sparked an international Art Deco revival. Exhibitions and retrospectives brought Erté’s vision once more into the spotlight, restoring his influence and reconnecting the world with the elegance of his line and imagination.

The Bronze Resurgence: 1980s–1990s

Building upon this renewed recognition, Erté entered his most astonishing creative chapter: the translation of his drawings into bronze sculpture. Beginning in the early 1980s, this new body of work ignited a global resurgence of interest in Art Deco.

His bronzes became icons of the movement’s renaissance, celebrated at major exhibitions and quickly embraced by collectors worldwide. The 1980s and 1990s marked a flourishing period during which Erté’s legacy was cemented not only on paper but also in bronze, a medium of permanence, weight, and timeless grandeur.

Creating the Bronzes

Erté approached this transformation with characteristic meticulousness. Working in close collaboration with master artisans and employing the lost-wax casting method, he personally approved every stage: the modeling, the proportions, and the patinas.

Initially, editions were cast in relatively small numbers, their immediate popularity leading to rapid sell-outs. The standard edition size was eventually increased to 375 pieces, without ever compromising quality or exclusivity. Each bronze was individually numbered and stamped with Erté’s own signature and the publisher’s mark, accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.

This system provided both assurance and provenance, elevating the bronzes into some of the most desirable limited editions of the twentieth century.

The Patrons of His Renaissance

The extraordinary success of Erté’s bronzes was made possible by a constellation of publishers and galleries who recognized the brilliance of his late-career transformation:

Circle Fine Art (Chicago) first introduced his limited-edition serigraphs, jewelry, and set the stage for his sculptural revival.
In 1980, Harris Shapiro and Ronald K. Parker founded Fine Art Acquisitions (FAA), establishing the distribution network that brought Erté’s bronzes to collectors worldwide. Their Dyansen Galleries became synonymous with the artist’s resurgence, hosting landmark exhibitions including his glittering 90th birthday celebration in New York (1982).
At the publishing level, Chalk & Vermilion Fine Arts (U.S.) partnered with Seven Arts Ltd. (U.K.), securing rights and ensuring each bronze bore their dual imprimatur. Chalk & Vermilion issued both serigraphs and sculptures.
Finally, through Martin Lawrence Galleries, Erté’s bronzes found a permanent presence in collections across America, reaching both seasoned connoisseurs and new admirers.