GREENWICH, Conn., Oct. 27, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Hermitage Museum is rightfully counted among the world's finest, boasting an extensive collection of masterworks from the most renowned artists of the past several centuries. And now, for the first time in its glorious history, it will be curating an exhibition to honor the work of Erté, the father of Art Deco and one of Russia's most celebrated cultural native sons. The event is scheduled to take place in June, 2016.
Martin Lawrence Galleries (MLG) ̶ with premier locations in ten major cities across the United States ̶ is proud to serve as a sponsor of this historical event. MLG is home to an extraordinarily varied and consequential collection of Erté works.
An exciting further announcement relating to this event will be made in the New Year
Erté ̶ whose real name was Romain de Tirtoff (initials "R.T.") ̶ was born in 1892 in St. Petersburg. In 1910 he moved to Paris to pursue a career as a designer, despite objections from a father who wanted him to become a naval officer. In 1915, he secured his first substantial contract with Harper's Bazaar magazine, and thus launched an illustrious career that included designing costumes and stage sets. Between 1915–1937, Erté designed over 200 covers for Harper's Bazaar, and his illustrations would also appear in such publications as Illustrated London News, Cosmopolitan, Ladies' Home Journal, and Vogue.
Elegant Erté fashion designs captured the Art Deco period he founded. His delicate figures and sophisticated, glamorous designs are instantly recognizable, and his ideas and art still influence fashion into the 21st century. In 1925, Louis B. Mayer brought him to Hollywood to design sets and costumes for the silent film Paris. He also designed for such films as Ben-Hur, The Mystic, Time, The Comedian, and Dance Madness. Well into his nineties, he designed the costumes for the musical "Stardust" and the costumes for the Rockettes "Easter Parade" at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
Erté continued working throughout his life and with the 1960s Art Deco revival, he began creating limited edition prints, bronzes, and other fine art.
His work can be found in the collections of several well-known museums, including the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).
The Hermitage Museum was originally built from 1754-1762, to serve as the Czar's Winter Palace. In 1764, Catherine II made it Russia's home of fine art by acquiring a significant collection originally intended for Frederick the Great of Prussia. It has since become one of the world's most renowned and respected museums, and celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2014.
About Martin Lawrence Galleries:
Founded in 1975, MLG has lent fine art to, and sponsored exhibitions at many of the world's finest museums and enjoys a superb and distinctive reputation among collectors of all kinds for the unparalleled depth and breadth of its artistic offerings as well as its unrelenting insistence on offering clients and prospects works of art in only the finest condition.
Home to the most highly respected artists in the world; Martin Lawrence Galleries has redefined the art scene for clients and prospects of all tastes, with an unparalleled collection of works of art available for acquisition at exceptional value. The galleries are distinguished by works by Philippe Bertho, Erté, Marc Chagall, Robert Deyber, François Fressinier, Kerry Hallam, Frederick Hart, Keith Haring, Douglas Hofmann, Liudmila Kondakova, René Lalonde, Felix Mas, Takashi Murakami, Pablo Picasso, Rembrandt, Andy Warhol and many others.
Over the past 40 years, MLG has published works by Andy Warhol and Keith Haring, and has loaned nearly 250 different artworks by dozens of internationally renowned artists to over 30 world class museums around the world, including those by Calder, Chagall, Magritte, Basquiat, Francis, Picasso, Warhol and many other artists to esteemed institutions such as the Whitney Museum, New York, The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., the San Francisco MOMA and the Museum Picasso, Barcelona.
MLG has locations in 10 cities across the country, including New York City, San Francisco, Costa Mesa and La Jolla, California; Maui, Hawaii; Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New Orleans, and Las Vegas; and offers unique and original works to its thousands of collectors ranging in price from the hundreds to the millions of dollars.
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