With an illustrious career spanning art, fashion, and set design, Erte`s iconic body of work seamlessly fuses each of these many elements into one harmonious style. In turn, Erte`s distinct style and extensive portfolio have earned him the moniker of "the father of Art Deco." Erte`s stunning piece, "Coming of Spring," reveals an elegant flapper girl laying behind a theater curtain. In front of her is a set, which depicts a vast sunset and a flock of birds in flight. Underneath the woman is her cloudlike dress, which creates the illusion that she is floating among the birds in the foreground.

Romain de Tirtoff, commonly known by his pseudonym "Erte," was born on November 23, 1892 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. In 1912, at just 20 years of age, Erte relocated to Paris to pursue an artistic career. The following year, Erte began working with Paul Poiret, a leading French fashion designer known as the founder of "haute couture." By 1915, Erte moved on to creating magazine covers for Harper`s Bazaar. During his 22 year career with Harper`s Bazaar, Erte created over 200 covers. During this time he also began a career in Hollywood designing sets. In 1967, Erte exhibited about 170 pieces of work in New York. Every single one of these pieces was purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. That same year, Eric Estorick, a renowned American art collector and dealer, displayed Erte`s Alphabet Series in London. This art exhibition received overwhelming critical acclaim. Over his long career, Erte designed fashion, jewelry, graphic art, costumes, sets, and even interior dcor. As a result of his prolific career, Erte`s name has eternally been etched into the annals of art history as the man who breathed life into the Art Deco movement.