Design for a Stage Set for the Ballet 'Le Donne de Buon Umore’ (The Good Humored Ladies), premiered in Rome, April 12, 1917

Léon Bakst

1917 · Watercolor and graphite · Drawings and Prints

The production of Le Donne de Buon Umore (The Good Humored Ladies) took place in 1917, when the company of the Ballets Russes was in Rome for their second Italian tour. The story was based on the 1758 comedy of the same title, written by the Italian author Carlo Goldoni. It recounted the tale of a nobleman who dressed up as woman during Carnival. The female lead in the production was danced by Olga Khokhlova who was, at the time, being pursued by her future husband Pablo Picasso. According to the choreographer Léonide Massine, Picasso often attended the rehearsals to sketch the dancers, and helped Bakst paint some of the props and backdrops that were used in the show.

Artist

Léon Bakst

Date

1917

Medium

Watercolor and graphite

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Bequest of Sallie Blumenthal, 2015