From Russia with Love

Costumes for the Ballets Russes 1909 –1933

Exhibition
15 May 1999 – 22 Aug 1999
Ballet dress costume with intricate details in dark blue, pink, cream and yellow

Léon Bakst, Costume for the Blue God, c. 1912, purchased 1987

About

Exhibition Logo for From Russia with Love

For years after the demise of de Basil's company in 1950, hundreds of sets and costumes lay in storage in Paris. In 1973 the National Gallery of Australia bought more than a hundred of these costumes at auction in London. Works from Canberra's collection have been joined by splendid designs and costumes from St Petersburg, London, Paris and Vienna.

The exhibition displays the extraordinary designs made for the Russian Ballet from the Russian season in Paris in 1909 to the avant-garde production of Destiny in 1933. It includes costumes, drawings, photographs, theatre programs and even a backdrop. There are four broad themes: Exoticism, Romance and Fairytales, Russian Folklore and Modernism.

The content on this page has been sourced from: National Gallery of Australia. "Introduction – From Russia with Love". Published 1999. Archived 6 December 2021.

Archived Site

The original website for this exhibition was published in 1999 and has been archived for research purposes.

Screenshot of From Russian With Love Exhibition web page
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