Set or curtain design for "La Symphonie Italienne" (Italian Symphonie)

In 1939 Berman designed sets for "La Symphonie Italienne," a ballet developed by the Original Ballet Russe Company that was never staged. Following Sergei Diaghilev's death, Colonel Wassily de Basil and René Blum had formed Les Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo in 1931. Tensions led to a split in 1937, with two new companies established with similar names. De Basil led the Original Ballet Russe Company and Blum the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in partnership with artistic director Léonide Massine. Interestingly, Berman worked for both companies after they decamped to New York at the start of World War II and began to mount rival productions.
Inspired by Italian Baroque precedents, the artist here presents a scene supported by a tromp l'oeil sheet with curled edges pinned to a pink background. Male and female figures sit on, or rest against, a half-buried classical arch at center, with the title on a yellow banner above tied to frayed green draperies at the sides.