NIJINSKY, Vaslav - BARBIER, George (illus.).

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Designs on the Dances of Vaslav Nijinsky. First edition in English, number 158 of 400 copies on vellum paper only. Inspired by the first season of the Ballet Russes in Paris, and particularly their male lead Nijinsky, Barbier moved on from his career as a costume and set designer to publish this, his first book. An edition in French was published earlier the same year.Nijinsky was one of the most famous dancers in his time, whose virtuosity re-enlivened public interest in the art form of ballet. He was not only known for his talent as a dancer, but also as an actor able to "expand a simple choreographic design into a rich dramatic portrait" (Cohen, p. 646).The plates depict scenes including Nijinsky's most famous characters. The pochoir technique involves hand-stencilling the design and is complex and labour-intensive. The manual element of the process means that no two impressions are the same, producing results that lie between prints and original paintings. Consequently, pochoir plates are often released in a limited run, as here. The use of gouache allows the colours to remain remarkably strong and vibrant. This copy comes from the collection of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, whose posthumous bookplate is included.

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