Wed 20 May
|East Horsley Village Hall
Romain de Tirtoff: 'ERTE' - Designs of the Art Deco Master
Romain de Tirtoff (known more famously by his pseudonym, Erté) was a Russian-born, French artist and designer who became revered as the ‘Father of Art Deco’.
Time & location
20 May 2026, 10:30
East Horsley Village Hall, Kingston Ave, East Horsley, Leatherhead KT24 6QT
About the event
About the event
Erté very much shaped the design ethos of the era with his signature look of sleek lines, geometric patterns and stylised forms. His career spanned eight decades and following a 1960s resurgence in the appeal of his work, new audiences have come to appreciate how Erte’s style and work has left a resounding mark on the art world. In his autobiography of 1975, the book states ‘it is rare that an artist who has become a legend in his lifetime, and who has left the imprint of his style on an entire epoch, should be as full of invention and enthusiasm in his eighties as he was in his twenties and thirties'. This is the case with Erté, the celebrated fashion artist and stage designer, once at the heart of the Art Deco Movement. In the 1980s he was commissioned to design a set of bottles to house a blend of Courvoisier’s Grande Champagne Cognacs - ‘Extra Courvoisier L’Esprit du Collection Erté Cognac’. These bottles are graced with sinuous, flowing lines and shapes, with stylised women in fashionable dress and are much sought after by both wine and art collectors.
Erté’s career spanned significant outputs in the graphic arts, costumes and set designs. He was very versatile in his use of mediums for his productions - often using a combination of gouache, pen and Indian ink. Not only will we consider Erté’s work for the Folies Bergère and The Ziegfeld Follies, but we will also highlight a selection of his magazine covers which he created between 1915 and 1937 for the fashion women’s magazine Harper’s Bazaar. He also worked on set designs for film, theatre and opera, including a Glyndebourne production in 1980.
His iconic 1923 artwork ‘Symphony in Black’ featuring a tall, slender woman in the height of elegant fashion accompanied by an equally graceful and elegant dog will also be closely studied.
He died 35 years ago in 1990 at the grand age of 97.
About the Lecturer
Pamela Campbell-Johnston MA Hons Art History, St Andrew's University has over 30 years of lecturing experience working with undergraduates, adult groups and Friends and Patrons of the Royal Academy of Arts as part of the RA’s Adult Education Department. She has also conducted numerous guided tours, residential trips and focused gallery talks on individual works of art. She specialises in British Domestic Architecture and Modern British Art; with a particular love for the 1920s and 1930s. She had a permanent career at Royal Academy of Arts for 12 years and has also undertaken work experience at Bonhams, Art Loss Register and the National Trust. Now a freelance art consultant and lecturer, she recently curated a collection for the Lansdowne Club.
This event is free to members.
Visitors are welcome to join us - £7 on the door.