Born Romain de Tirtoff, in St. Petersburg, Erté derived his pen name from the French pronunciation of his initial, "R.T.". In 1912, he moved to Paris and soon contracted with Harper's Bazaar, contributing fashion drawings to this publication for 22 years.

He designed extravagant costumes and stage sets for such major productions as the Folies-Bergére in Paris and George White's Scandals in New York. He also designed for the opera, music hall and theatre and even spent some time in the movie industry.

After the 1930's, Erté's distinctive style waned in popularity but was again revitalized in the 1960's. In response to this new demand, he created a series of colorful lithographic prints and bronze sculpture.

Erté's career spanned almost 80 years. At his death in 1990, he was hailed as the "prince of the music hall" and "a mirror of fashion for 75 years".