A Festival of wonders. Sergei Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes

In May, 1909 Sergei Diaghilev astonished the world of dance with his first ballet presentations in Paris which demonstrated an unprecedented combination of vitality and grace, originality and technical sophistication.
As a primary axis of Diaghilev's activities during the life of the company known as the Ballets Russes, Monte Carlo is celebrating this centenary with a major exhibition of over 300 artworks relating to the Saisons Russes between 1909 and 1929.
The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalog with contributions by leading specialists in the history of the Russian dance and the visual arts.
Key Sales Information - The legendary productions of Le Pavillon d'Armide, Cléopatre. Schéhérazade, Sacre du printemps. Petrouchka, Parade and many others are brought to life through stage designs, costumes, paintings, sculptures, photographs, de luxe editions, programs, and items of material culture.
- The artworks come from a wide variety of public and private collections, national and international, as the Fokine collection in the St. Petersburg Theatre Museum.
- Diaghilev's scenic achievements are complemented by a substantial number of contextual paintings, drawings and other artifacts which helped to define Russia's cultural renaissance of the first decades of the 20th century.
- The documentary section of the catalog contains rich archival material, including letters, photographs, choreographic notes and memoirs, many published here for the first time.
- The exhibition and its catalogue are part of a broader appreciation of the Diaghilev era in Monte Carlo and Moscow which includes ballet performances, films, lectures and an international conference.