Russian-Inspired Set Design (ref #89A)
A painting by costume designer Marco Montedoro depicting a set design for an unidentified production. The set features a cluster of colorfully painted buildings with onion domes. In front of these, at the lower right corner, walks a figure dressed in white, followed by a much taller figure with a red face, red hair, and a red tunic. Unsigned. Gouache on paper. Dimensions: w 12.5 x h 11 in
Condition: Good. The painting is an irregular shape, and has been glued to a piece of bright orange board. The edges of the painting are stabilized with black electrical tape, which appears to partially conceal several tears. A large (1.75 in) tear is visible at the upper left corner, and two smaller tears are visible at the left edge.
THIS ITEM IS AT OUR DUPONT STORE.
1345189
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.