Museum of Performance & Design
Le Cio d'Or costume from the Ballet Russe
Prior to having the new main gallery, exhibition space was at a premium and costumes could seldom be displayed, so much of the Museum’s costume collection has been in deep storage for years. In preparation for Art & Artifice: 75 Years of Design at San Francisco Ballet, the Museum began re-exploring a number of the costumes in its own collection. In the process, three costumes previously mislabeled as having come from San Francisco Ballet productions were correctly identified as actually belonging to the Ballet Russe.
The costumes all date from the 1937 production of Michel Fokine’s ballet Le Coq d’Or (The Golden Cockerel). From its premiere in 1914, the ballet was considered one of the greatest achievements of Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, particularly for its inspired sets and costumes designed by Natalia Goncharova. When Col. de Basil’s Ballet Russe remounted the ballet in 1937, the Golden Cockerel (formerly represented by an onstage prop and an offstage singing voice) was made into a dancing character, for which Fokine created new choreography and Goncharova designed a spectacular golden costume, executed by Karinska. Tatiana Riabouchinska danced the role to great acclaim around the world, including San Francisco.
One of two identical costumes for the Golden Cockerel worn by Riabouchinska is among the costumes rediscovered in MPD’s collection. The other two are beautifully painted and appliquéd dresses worn by female attendants of King Dodon. All three of these costumes, newly conserved, are on display in the Art & Artifice exhibition. Goncharova’s designs were important points of departure for San Francisco Ballet’s own version of Le Coq d’Or, choreographed by Adolph Bolm and designed by Nicolas Remisoff. This rediscovery is a significant one, as very few museums in the United States have original Ballet Russe costumes in their collections. The Museum of Performance & Design also has four other documented Ballet Russe costumes in its collection, and more discoveries may lie ahead! ©2008 Museum of Performance & Design.
Le Cio d'Or costume from the Ballet Russe
Prior to having the new main gallery, exhibition space was at a premium and costumes could seldom be displayed, so much of the Museum’s costume collection has been in deep storage for years. In preparation for Art & Artifice: 75 Years of Design at San Francisco Ballet, the Museum began re-exploring a number of the costumes in its own collection. In the process, three costumes previously mislabeled as having come from San Francisco Ballet productions were correctly identified as actually belonging to the Ballet Russe.
The costumes all date from the 1937 production of Michel Fokine’s ballet Le Coq d’Or (The Golden Cockerel). From its premiere in 1914, the ballet was considered one of the greatest achievements of Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, particularly for its inspired sets and costumes designed by Natalia Goncharova. When Col. de Basil’s Ballet Russe remounted the ballet in 1937, the Golden Cockerel (formerly represented by an onstage prop and an offstage singing voice) was made into a dancing character, for which Fokine created new choreography and Goncharova designed a spectacular golden costume, executed by Karinska. Tatiana Riabouchinska danced the role to great acclaim around the world, including San Francisco.
One of two identical costumes for the Golden Cockerel worn by Riabouchinska is among the costumes rediscovered in MPD’s collection. The other two are beautifully painted and appliquéd dresses worn by female attendants of King Dodon. All three of these costumes, newly conserved, are on display in the Art & Artifice exhibition. Goncharova’s designs were important points of departure for San Francisco Ballet’s own version of Le Coq d’Or, choreographed by Adolph Bolm and designed by Nicolas Remisoff. This rediscovery is a significant one, as very few museums in the United States have original Ballet Russe costumes in their collections. The Museum of Performance & Design also has four other documented Ballet Russe costumes in its collection, and more discoveries may lie ahead! ©2008 Museum of Performance & Design.