Ballets Russes - The Great "Ballet Russes" and Modern Art

By Hiroshi Unno

A collection of fascinating art and design from the Ballets Russes, celebrating the origin of modern art and fashion. In the early 20th century, Ballets Russes, a traveling Russian ballet company based in Paris and founded by Russian impresario Sergei Diaghilev, created a worldwide sensation. They brought innovation to the performing arts not just with music and choreography but also with scenography and costumes designed by Picasso, Matisse, and Chanel. They pioneered an integrated approach to the performing arts in pursuit of the "ideal work of art" and made a huge impact on modern art.

Accompanied by notes and commentary and focusing mainly on Ballets Russes, this book introduces a plethora of beautiful designs from the performing arts from the late 19th to the early 20th century. Richly illustrated, with text in Japanese (English translations of some, but not all, material). Worth it for the illustrations alone!

PIE International, 2021, softcover, Japanese and English, 7.3 x 10.1 inches, 464 pages.