Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes
Serge Diaghilev (1872 – 1929) was a Russian ballet impresario and founder of the legendary Ballets Russes dance company. The work of the Ballets Russes revolutionised ballet and had a huge influence on 20th-century art, theatre, fashion and interior design.
Diaghilev embraced the modern and exploited the avant-garde. He recruited composers, choreographers, designers and performers, including Mikhail Fokine, Léon Bakst and Vaslav Nijinsky, and left an astonishing legacy of music, dance and art, reflected in our collection of costumes, back-cloths, stage designs and photographs.
Features
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A close-up look at the risqué costume made for the 1913 performance of Salomé by the Ballet Russes
Take a closer look at the risqué costume designed for Tamara Karsavina in her role as Salome, performed by the Ballet Russes in 1913
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Léon Bakst – revolutionary designs for the ballet
Discover Léon Bakst's revolutionary costume designs for the legendary Ballets Russes
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Diaghilev's music and choreography
Leading contemporary choreographers and composers give their take on Sergei Diaghilev's legendary Ballets Russes
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Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes: behind-the-scenes as objects are prepared for display
Go behind the scenes to see spectacular costumes, posters and a gigantic Picasso stage cloth being prepared for display
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Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes: a free, self-guided London walking tour
Take a journey through the streets of London's Covent Garden to discover key landmarks in the story of Sergei Diaghilev's legendary Ballets Russes
Collection highlights
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Stage cloth for 'Le Train Bleu', designed by Pablo Picasso, painted by Prince Alexander Schervachidze, 1924, EuropeV&A East Storehouse -
Theatre costume for Larionov and Slavinsky's ballet 'Chout', designed by Mikhail Larionov, 1921V&A South Kensington -
Costume design for 'Le Coq d'Or', by Natalia Goncharova, about 1914V&A South Kensington -
Nijinsky depicted on a poster for the Ballets Russes, designed by Jean Cocteau, printed by Eugène Verneau and Henri Chachoin, 1913, FranceV&A East Storehouse -
Serge Lifar and Alice Nikitina in 'Apollon Musagète', photograph, by Sasha, 1928, Paris, FranceV&A East Storehouse -
Theatre costumes for Fokine's ballet 'Daphnis and Chloé', designed by Léon Bakst, 1912. Museum no. S.508&A, B-1979; S.639&A, B, 635&A, C-1980 -
Design for the costume of Le Buffoon in the ballet 'Chout', by Mikhail Larionov, 1915, Lausanne, SwitzerlandV&A South Kensington -
Costume for The Chinese Conjurer in Massine's ballet 'Parade', designed by Pablo Picasso, 1917V&A South Kensington -
Signed photograph of Vaslav Nijinsky in 'Le Spectre de la Rose', by Bert, 1913. Valentine Gross Archive -
Costumes for 'Le Train Bleu', designed by Coco Chanel, 1924 -
Backcloth for 'The Firebird', designed by Natalia Goncharova, about 1926V&A East Storehouse -
Photograph of Tamara Karsavina as the Queen and Adoph Bolm as the stranger in the ballet 'Thamar', by Stanisław Julian Ignacy, 1912, Paris, FranceV&A East Storehouse
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Header image:
Backcloth for 'The Firebird', designed by Natalia Goncharova, about 1926. Museum no. S.455-1980. © Victoria & Albert Museum, London