It really is busy – all our last loans have arrived so those gaps on the walls are being filled. The couture fashions look stunning and really serve their purpose – you can clearly see the influence of Bakst, Picasso, Goncharova and Matisse and wouldn’t it be fun to wear such outfits!
The two cartoons by Jean Cocteau are the last objects to go into the Nijinsky section. These show Nijinsky and Diaghilev in Le Spectre de la rose. No that is not a mistake Diaghilev has been drawn with bonnet, cape and rose as the Young Girl, an ironic comment on his passion for Nijinsky. They were given by Cocteau to Lady Ripon, a key sponsor of the first Londonseasons. We had tried to acquire them when they came up for auction two years ago but were outbid by the Stifung John Neumeier, Hamburg(which was no surprise). Anyway it is great that they would lend them for the exhibition.
Once again Tim Hatley comes to the rescue as we install the costumes for The Rite of Spring.
A costume for The Rite of Spring awaiting installation
