Pretty Ladies 

Curator: Oh, the chic decadence! What a find. At first blush, this feels like a lost cover of some fantastical Jazz Age magazine. Editor: And the perfect gateway to a conversation about the illustrator and designer Erte's "Pretty Ladies". It's hard to pinpoint the exact date of its creation. But his influence pulsed throughout the 20th century. It is, without doubt, an iconic representation of the Art Deco aesthetic. Curator: Totally. I mean, look at the cascading dresses! Each figure is almost doll-like, and it flows into the next with the grace of the most opulent sunset. And there's something almost architectural in their dresses. Each an edifice of fashion. They give me serious ‘Great Gatsby’ vibes. Editor: I see the echoes of the "Gatsby" era, absolutely. But it's critical to note how Erte’s work intersects with discussions around identity, gender presentation, and performance. While seemingly celebratory of feminine beauty, Art Deco often reinforced rigid societal norms through very specific silhouettes. So, in some ways it is kind of restrictive. Curator: Mmm. I do see your point... Though there’s such joy in this work for me, something so stylized and almost, dare I say, irreverent. Like, imagine being this cool! Erte's embracing decoration just for decoration’s sake – like frosting a cake with pure gold! Editor: And what do we do with such pure decadence? How can we bring Erte into conversations around the historical conditions of design, power, beauty, and marginalization? We really should think how decorative art intersects with so much, from costume to graphic arts, revealing all these shifting social tides… Curator: Alright, I get your provocation, but look beyond all of that academic stuff. These 'Pretty Ladies' are timeless… Even today. Each echoing the past, whilst creating space for our current and future imagination! Editor: It does speak to a lot. Even the question what 'pretty' can mean today. What can beauty give to change and society and so on. Thanks, I'm grateful we got a chance to look into it all together!