Erte Sculpture Book

Erte was 87, and had already enjoyed decades of international acclaim as a fabulous fashion and theatre designer, when - in the tradition of Degas, Picasso, and Matisse - he began a new career by turning to another medium: sculpture. Looking for inspiration to his drawings and covers for Harper's Bazaar during the 1910s, '20s, and '30s, when he was its leading designer; to costumes he designed for the Follies-Bergere, George White's Scandals, and numerous other stage and film productions; and gowns he designed for Mrs. William Randolf Hearst and others. Erte began making a series of stunning sculptures to be published in polychromed bronze castings. The tremendous success of his bronze sculpture collection astounded Erte himself no less than it did the art world. To meet the demand, these editions grew from 250 to 500 copies - and the prices of the bronzes increased dramatically as the editions sold out. Illustrated in the pages of this volume are forty-one bronze sculptures, with two or three views of each, beautifully photographed in color by Lee Boltin. Erte himself has written an informative commentary on each subject. Also included are photographs of clay models for twenty-one works in progress.Read More