Stage Design for Cleopatra
The Ballets Russes first performed Cleopatra at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on May 19, 1909, with sets and costumes designed by Léon Bakst. The production became part of the company’s repertoire and was performed repeatedly until the sets and costumes were destroyed in a fire in 1917. In 1918 the ballet was redesigned with sets by Robert Delaunay and costumes by his wife, Sonia Delaunay (see MMA 2007.49.36). A key figure of Orphism, Delaunay applied the intense color principles of the movement to his set designs; the production premiered at the Coliseum Theatre in London on September 5, 1918.
Artwork Details
- Title: Stage Design for Cleopatra
- Artist: Robert Delaunay (French, Paris 1885–1941 Montpellier)
- Date: ca. 1918
- Medium: Opaque watercolor and metallic paint over graphite on paper
- Dimensions: 13 5/8 × 18 5/8 in. (34.6 × 47.3 cm)
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Bequest of William S. Lieberman, 2005
- Object Number: 2007.49.35
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
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Robert Delaunay
1926
Robert Delaunay
1926
Robert Delaunay
1926
Robert Delaunay
ca. 1924–26
Robert Delaunay
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