Diaghilev's Ballets Russes Coming to D.C.

[Photo my own]  

Over the weekend I stopped by the 65th Annual Atlanta Camellia Show. Some of the jaw-droppingly-beautiful white varieties made me think of Chanel's iconic camellia, and later I wondered if any Chanel-related exhibitions are on the horizon.

Well, indirectly, there's one coming to the National Gallery of Art: Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, 1909–1929: When Art Danced with Music is a huge show opening May 12. 1920s costumes by Coco Chanel will be among the highlighted pieces as she was one of 20th century designers who collaborated with Diaghilev. (A few other designers/artists included Sonia Delaunay, Léon Bakst, and Henri Matisse.)

[Coco Chanel's La Perlouse in Le Train Blue, 1924. V & A Museum.]

But for many what's really exciting about this highly anticipated summer blockbuster is that two very famous, massively-scaled objects are headed to the States: The front curtain for The Blue Train (1924) designed by Pablo Picasso and painted by Prince Alexander Schervashidze, Diaghilev's principal set designer, and Natalia Goncharova's backdrop for The Firebird (1926). Never before seen in a U.S. museum, these will be the biggest pieces ever exhibited inside the NGA. In all visitors will see 135 original costumes, set designs, prints and drawings, photographs, posters, paintings, sculptures, and film clips as part of a multimedia installation.

If something about the show feels familiar, you may be thinking of the V & A's 2010 exhibition, Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballets Russes. The D.C. show, a collaborative effort itself, has been adapted from the V & A's creation but will showcase 50 objects not seen in London. (BTW, totally channeling the Diaghilev vibe, Café Ballets Russes is set to open at the museum in May, ofering French and Russian bistro classics.)

Loosely related past post: In the Russian Style.