ERTE …when I was not in the picture (c)2022
SOHO was a brand-new hip area in the late 1970’s. It had been a rundown industrial part of Manhattan…now it bloomed into an artsy-fartsy destination.
Art galleries suddenly burst onto the scene.
One of the first was The Circle Gallery.
At that time, I still lived in a suburb of Long Island.
I was an interior designer having returned to school while my girls were growing up.
The gallery sent me an invitation to meet Erte at his “revival”.
He had been popular in the 1930’s to about 1950, as he was “the artist of the Art Deco period”. Now his work was in fashion once again.
I was so excited…
At the time my husband & I were separated…but friendly.
I guess I was still learning to be a career woman on my own…standing on my own 2 feet
Since he was a menswear designer, I invited him as “MY” guest. I felt like such a big shot…😁
Well, the gallery doors opened, and the trendy crowd mingled, with glasses of bubbling in hand. The worshiping mob rush towards Erte.
He was a small dapple looking gent. The photographers descended on him, flashing their cameras, then they recognized my very tall husband & pulled him, with me at his side, like an appendage, next to Erte.
They even posed them together shaking hands…ala “Mutt & Jeff”. (These were cartoon pals of extreme different heights).
I felt like a million dollars…🤗
Next day “, Menswear Daily”, etc. had photos of Erte and my husband, in their art & fashion pages…minus ME!
The press cut the image of me out…I was of NO importance!
They didn’t acknowledge me…at all… Sniff- sniff! 😥
This tale is to add providence to the Erte paintings that I will be leaving you, that Pops & I, bought that day, in SOHO.
