Some people have requested that I republish a few of my blog posts!
I decided to start with this one!!
I hope you enjoy!
In 1961, my very talented mother was in Paris on a trip. She had admired an artist throughout the 40’s and 50’s. His name was Marcel Vertes; and he was an Hungarian who lived in Paris until the war; and then he lived in New York. He was working in all kinds of mediums. My mother was in advertising; I think that was when she first started following him. He did all the advertisements for Elsa Schiaparelli ; her “Shocking” perfume; even designing the bottle!
He also won an Academy award for set design for “Moulin Rouge.
She timed her trip to coincide with a show of his oil paintings at the Katia Granoff gallery.
In researching for this blog post; look what I discovered!!! A blog post about Marcel Vertes with my bedroom in it! I had never seen it!
Feeling Pink with Marcel Vertes
My mother timed her trip to coincide with a show of his oil paintings at the Katia Granoff gallery. He died shortly before the exhibit, in 1961.
I was 14 years old. She told me that she loved his art, his whimsy, his colors, and his animals. She also said she loved his women because they reminded her of me!!
This one was the sixth!
This was the beginning of a lifelong collection of the work of one artist by my mother, my brother, and by me!
This is a beautiful one that was above our living room mantle while I was growing up!
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We had a fire in 1982, and one of my mother’s Vertes oils was lost. I bought this one from my dear Tony Duquette and Hutton Wilkinson; and after I had purchased it, they told me it had belonged to Elsie de Wolfe. My mother gave me her book, The House in Good Taste; which had inspired me to become a decorator!!
Crazy about the cat!
