Here was an evening all at once a through-the-

looking glass tour of the wildly creative and

extravagant career of Tony Duquette, and a

madly entertaining “stand-up” perf o rmance by

Hutton Wilkinson.

Wilkinson, President of Tony Duquette, Inc. , the

Elsie DeWolfe Foundation and, in his own right, a

j e w e l ry and interior designer, began working for

Duquette during his teenage years, though his

aspirations to do so took root when, as a 7th

g r a d e r, a Los Angeles Ti m e s f e a t u re bro u g h t

Duquette to his rapt attention.

P resented by the FGI Frontliners Committee,

and graciously hosted by the Baker Showroom

of Baker Knapp & Tubb “Tony Duquette—An

Enchanted Vision” explored Duquette’s

e x t r a o rd i n a ry life, from his childhood to his

d i s c o v e ry by his friend, patroness and client, Elsie

de Wolfe, who persuaded the Duke of Windsor to

commission a Duquette necklace for the Mrs.

Up close and personal was a view of Duquette’s

work for crowned and nearly-crowned heads, the

greats of dance, theater and screen, socialites of

the A+ ilk and his unprecedented exhibition at

the Louvre, the first American to exhibit at the

Paris museum.

Against a backdrop of images from his book,

Wi l k i n s o n ’s presentation––laced with style, wit

and charm––spoke of Duquette’s marriage to his

muse and soul mate, the ravishingly beautiful

Elizabeth Johnstone Duquette (herself an

accomplished artist who painted the canvases

for Elizabeth Ta y l o r’s character in the film, T h e

S a n d p i p e r) and his associations with the friends

and colleagues who helped him achieve his

d reams. Wi l k i n s o n ’s dialogue was liberally and

delightfully peppered with the names of the

glitterati whose patronage paved the way to fame:

the legendary fashion designer, Adrian, movie

moguls, George Cukor and Vincent Minnelli

(whose fairly well-known daughter, Liza, is a

self-appointed Duquette goddaughter), Fre d

Astaire and Cary Grant, among so many others.

An inveterate collector—with l i tt le sales

resistance and a discerning eye—Duquette

accumulated a wealth of tre a s u res unearthed at

the props and costume auctions held by the

movie studios. Among the goodies scooped up

(often by offers of “if you can use it, just come

and get it) were the Louis XVI chairs featured in

�

The Thin Man, Regency and Chippendale tables,

Biedermeier display cabinets and, in another vein

e n t i re l y, Esther Williams’ swimming pool and the

front doors to Gone With The Wind’s “Tara”.

As fascinating as the program was the venue itself;

a vast and elegant space richly detailed with the

crème de la crème of interior design, including

B a k e r’s 20-or-so re p roductions of Duquette

masterpieces, some of which, Wilkinson

acknowledged, are better than the originals.

P o s t - p resentation, attendees enjoyed a lavish

spread of wine, cheeses, fruits and veggies, while

lining up to purchase copies of Tony Duquette:

Inspirations and Achievements; a collector’s

volume—beautifully writ ten and glor iously

illustrated with dozens of rare and fabulous

photographs. With warmth and grace, the very

charismatic Hutton Wilkinson stayed on to sign

each copy.

–– Wendy D'Amico

Creative Consultant, Wendy7d@aol.com

The World of Tony Duquette:The Vision and Scope of an Iconic American Art i s t

“Beauty, not luxury, is what I value” —Tony Duquette

dFrontliners

Hutton Wilkinson signing his book for

designer Joanna Mastroianni.