In 2016 the world celebrated the 150th anniversary since the birth of the legendary artist, stage designer and illustrator Leo Bakst. For several months his sketches of costume designs from the collection of the Museum of Theater and Music Art traveled around the world to participate in jubilee exhibitions and have finally returned home now.

The Museum of Theater and Music Art contains a rich collection of works by Leo Bakst - from his early projects for the Imperial Theaters to one of his last works for the Sleeping Beauty staged by Sergei Diaghilev. The exposition includes drawings, costumes, postcards, photographs and porcelain items. For the first time the general public can see the scenography for the ballet-pantomime “The Heart of the Marquis”. After the successful debut in the "Heart of the Marquise," Leo Bakst came to be engaged in other performances of the Imperial Theaters of Petersburg. His work on the ballet Fairy of Dolls turned to be the true triumph for him. The images he created were captured in postcards, which can be seen at the exhibition.

Here you can also see a doll’s costume, the silk for which was hand painted by Leo Bakst himself.  The exposition also tells about the artist's projects for Diaghilev's "Russian Seasons". In particular, the visitors will see famous sketches for the ballets "Narcissus" and "Sleeping Beauty". The visual series is complemented with the image of Cleopatra for Ida Rubinstein and La Bayadere with a Peacock for Sergei Fokin's ballet Blue God. Visitors are likely to pay attention to the master’s love for oriental exotics, antique motifs and Western European classics of the 17^th -19^th centuries. The ideas of brilliant Leo Bakst were reflected in the works by other artists as well. Thus, for example, in 1912 the Meissen Manufactory produced a series of porcelain figurines based on the ballet "Carnival". Today these figures are a real antique rarity.

When? 29 April - 20 August, 2017
Where? The  Museum of Theater and Music Art at the address 6, Ostrovsky Square next to Gostiny Dvor metro station, Saint Petersburg