Russian art, dance take the stage at Zimmerli

COURTESY OF ZIMMERLI ART MUSEUM Leon Bakst's costume design for "Old Man in Yellow," from Le Martine de Saint Sebastian, 1922, is on display as part of "Art for the Dance: Russian Costume and Stage Design From the Riabov Collection," at the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University.

NEW BRUNSWICK - Two ongoing exhibitions spotlight the Zimmerli Art Museum's unique dance-related Russian artworks.

The museum, on the campus of Rutgers University, is presenting "Art for the Dance: Russian Costume and Stage Design From the Riabov Collection," and "Russian Dance: Selections From the Donation of Herbert and Ruth Schimmel," through July 31.

"Art for the Dance" takes advantage of the Zimmerli's deep holdings of Russian art created for theater and dance. Russian theatrical design flourished at the end of the 19th century but acquired international scope and recognition with the Ballets Russes at the beginning of the 20th century. The Ballets Russes, an enterprise launched by impresario Sergei Diaghilev in 1909 in Paris, became a true revelation for the Western public. Exotic themes, bright colors, daring decorations, splendid costumes and powerful choreography provoked a revolution in taste and fashion, not only affecting the theater but also the era's general lifestyle.

A large part of the success of the Ballets Russes must be attributed to the artists who designed the sets and costumes. Very knowledgeable about the visual arts, Diaghilev invited the finest artists of his time to create the costumes and stage designs for his ballets. He collaborated largely with the artists from the Mir Iskusstva (World of Art) group, in which Diaghilev himself participated.

The exhibition features works by such artists as Aleksander Benois, Leon Bakst and Konstantin Korovin. Diaghilev also invited artists of a more radical avantgarde approach, such as Natalia Goncharova.

The Ballets Russes paved the way for daring experiments in Russian avantgarde theater, as represented in this exhibition by Aleksandra Exter's designs. It also helped to establish a powerful tradition of progressive and internationalist costume and stage design in the West. After the Russian Revolution, the Ballets Russes settled in Monte-Carlo and hired bothWestern European and Russian émigré artists, and many of the latter went on to work for large European theatrical companies. Mstislav Dobuzhinsky and Leon Zack, for example, designed for Grand Opéra in Paris and La Scala. Some of the artists, such as Sergei Soudeikine, traveled to the United States and designed for Broadway shows and the Metropolitan Opera in New York, bringing the traditions of Russian stage design to America.

The Silver Age of Russian culture, which spans the 1890s to the 1920s, saw extraordinary developments in Russian literary, musical and visual arts. This flowering of creativity also included the art of dance, which achieved unparalleled mastery in 20th-century Russia. The period included legendary dancers such as Nijinksy, Karsavina, Pavlova and Spessiva, as well as innovative choreographers such as Fokine, Massine, Balanchine and Nijinska.

But Russian dance of the modernist period also attracted the era's most gifted musicians and visual artists, including Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Leon Bakst and Alexandre Benois.

The museum's Schimmel Collection, featured in "Russian Dance: Selections From the Donation of Herbert and Ruth Schimmel," is a precious resource for the study of early 20th-century Russian dance. Through the collection's rare books, programs, journals, photography and artwork, scholars and the general public may reconstruct the exciting world of modernist Russian dance.

The collection's holdings include original programs from the Ballets Russes and its successor, The Ballets Russes deMonte Carlo. Other gems include rare and lavishly illustrated albums commemorating outstanding Russian ballerinas; sensual stage and costume designs; portfolios of drawings devoted to Nijinsky; posters and even videos of contemporary re-creations of daring Diaghilev-era ballets, including the erotic "Afternoon of a Faun."

The Diaghilev Era: Ballet Reconstructions will be presented on April 24 and 25 at 10 and 11:30 a.m., and April 26 at 3 p.m. Reservations are required for April 24 and 25 by calling (732) 932-7237, ext. 615. The American Repertory Ballet will bring to life highlights of major Diaghilevera dance works, including the seminal Petrushka, with music by Igor Stravinsky, choreography by Fokine, and costumes by Alexandre Benois, and Bolero, with music by Maurice Ravel, choreography by Bronislava Nijinska, and costumes by Benois.

Funding for the project has been underwritten by the National Endowment for the Arts and Nora C. and James Orphanides.

Other exhibitions that opened in February include "From Here to the Horizon: American Landscape Prints From Whistler to Celmins," and "Ways and Means: How Illustrators Plan a Picture Book."

The museum is at 71 Hamilton St. Hours are Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday- Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $3 for adults; free for museum members, Rutgers students, faculty and staff, and children under 18. Admission is free on the first Sunday of every month. For more information, call (732) 932-7237, ext. 610, or visit www.zimmerlimuseum. rutgers.edu.