1341743 Nymph Costume (ref #45). Marco Montedoro.
Nymph Costume (ref #45)
Nymph Costume (ref #45)
Nymph Costume (ref #45)
Montedoro, Marco

Nymph Costume (ref #45)

An original painting by costume designer Marco Montedoro depicting a design for a woman’s costume. The painting is labeled “The Nymphs” in the artist’s hand at the upper right corner, and below this are a few construction notes, also in the artist’s hand. Unsigned. Gouache, colored pencil, and pencil on paper. Verso: one rough sketch in pencil. Dimensions: w 11 x h 14 in. Condition: Good to very good. Foxing and light marking visible, along with minor bumping to edges and corners. Light vertical crease to right of figure on lower half of sheet. Verso: visibly age-tones with light foxing, yellowed tape, and small patches of surface damage from adhesive removal.

THIS ITEM IS AT OUR DUPONT STORE.

1341743

Arts & Antiques

Price: $200

NOTES

Marco Montedoro (1887-1947) was born in Italy to a family of musicians. Regarded as a child prodigy, he was sent to Paris to study drawing and painting as a teenager. He established himself as an artist there, and remained in Paris until 1913 when he became the artistic director of the Metropol in Berlin. Montedoro moved back to Italy for the duration of WWI, where he designed posters for Italian theaters and cinemas. He returned to Paris after the war, and found work designing costumes for Le Palace, Les Ambassadeurs, Moulin Rouge, and Folies Bergère (including a 1927 production featuring Josephine Baker). During this period, he also designed productions in Milan, Berlin, London, St. Petersburg, and Poland.

In 1930, Montedoro relocated to New York City and designed for the Schuberts, including the 1941-1942 Broadway production of La Vie Parisienne. From 1932-1947, he worked alongside Vincinte Minelli designing sets and costumes for Radio City Music Hall, where Montedoro became head designer. Montedoro's talent is featured in Angelo Luerti's 2006 book Non Solo Erté - Not Only Erté, Costume Design for the Paris Music Hall 1918-1940.

Provenance: Before his death, Montedoro gave a significant collection of his designs to his close friend Hella Aronson (a German Jewish newspaper illustrator who had emigrated to New York from Nazi Germany before the beginning of WWII). The collection has remained with the Aronson family since that time.

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