Ballets Russes: The Art of Costume

Editorial

When: 10 Dec 2010 - 20 Mar 2011
Where: National Gallery of Australia, Parkes Place, Parkes, Canberra

Fairytales and other romantic stories are part of ballet's long tradition, particularly portrayed in the sets and costumes created for the Ballets Russes from 1907 to 1933.
By integrating design, music and dance and encouraging the artistic experimentation and collaboration of designers, painters, choreographers and composers, the founder of the Ballets Russes, Serge Diaghilev, and his successor, Colonel Wassily de Basil, created the new art of modern ballet.
Celebrating the centenary of the Ballets Russes' first Paris performances in 1909, the National Gallery of Australia spotlights Australia's largest collection of the Company's exquisite costumes.
Principal designers such as Léon Bakst caused a sensation with his brilliant visions of exotic cultures, while Alexandre Benois charmed the sophisticated Parisian audiences with his interpretations of both Russian and French traditions.
Artists of the avant-garde were also commissioned to design costumes and scenery for the Company's European productions, including Michel Larionov, Natalia Goncharova, Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse.
Tracing the influence of many well-known artists and designers commissioned by the Company, these costumes tell stories of magic, romance and tragedy in a novel and sophisticated way.
Crystal James, Citysearch