The Legendary Ballet Master; Rudolf Nureyev: A Life in Dance

" You live as long as you dance," was Rudolf Nureyev's mantra throughout his meteoric rise as an internationally acclaimed dancer, choreographer, ballet master, and company director. In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Nureyev's death, and the remarkable art and career of this legendary performer, the de Young Museum will present more than 70 costumes from ballets danced by the master - Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and Manfred among them - as well as a selection of photographs, videos, and ephemera that chronicles his illustrious life.

Reflecting Nureyev's lifelong obsession with the details of fabric, decoration, and stylistic line, the costumes in this exhibition represent every period of his long career. As a meticulous performer, the Russian ballet master demanded costumes that were not only beautiful, but precisely engineered to suit the physical demands of his dance. He also loved sumptuous decoration, and these costumes reflect his highly-refined aesthetic; fantasias of embroidery, jewels, and braid.

Rudolf Nureyev: A Life in Dance offers an intimate view of the man behind the grand gestures, a man, as Mikhail Baryshnikov said, who "... had the charisma and simplicity of a man of the earth, and the inaccessible arrogance of the gods."
Organized in collaboration with the Centre national du costume de scène in Moulins, France and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the de Young is the exhibition's exclusive US venue.

Rudolf Nureyev: A Life in Dance

Rudolf Nureyev and Noëlla Pontois in La Bayadère, Palais Garnier, 1974. Photograph by André Chino. Courtesy CNCS.

Costume for the Lilac Fairy Queen in Sleeping Beauty, Teatro alla Scalla, Milan, 1966. Collection CNSC/Rudolf Nureyev Foundation. Photograph by Pascal François/CNCS.

Costume for the Lilac Fairy Queen in Sleeping Beauty, Teatro alla Scalla, Milan, 1966. Collection CNSC/Rudolf Nureyev Foundation. Photograph by Pascal François/CNCS.

Costume by Nicholas Giorgiadis for Rudolf Nureyev in the role of Prince Siegfried, Act I, in Swan Lake, Vienna State Opera Ballet, 1964. Silver lace and blue silk doublet, trimmed with blue rhinestones, faux pearls, pleated linen collar and cuffs, and blue soutache. Collection CNCS/Rudolf Nureyev Foundation. Photograph by Pascal François/CNCS

Costume by Nicholas Giorgiadis for Rudolf Nureyev in the role of Prince Siegfried, Act I, in Swan Lake, Vienna State Opera Ballet, 1964. Silver lace and blue silk doublet, trimmed with blue rhinestones, faux pearls, pleated linen collar and cuffs, and blue soutache. Collection CNCS/Rudolf Nureyev Foundation. Photograph by Pascal François/CNCS

Rudolf Nureyev in La Bayadère, Palais Garnier, 1974. Photograph by André Chino. Courtesy CNCS.

Costume by Nicholas Giorgiadis, doublet for Rudolf Nureyev in the role of Prince Florimond, Act III, in Sleeping Beauty, Teatro alla Scala, Milan, 1966. Sleeveless gray and silver waistcoat trimmed with gold lace, yellow braid, and gold filigree buttons; white false shirt with pleated sleeves and lace cuffs. Collection CNCS/Rudolf Nureyev Foundation. Photograph by Pascal François/CNCS

Costume by Nicholas Georgiadis for Rudolf Nureyev in the role of Jean de Brienne in Raymonda, Opéra national de Paris, 1983. Beige silk and gold lamé doublet with velvet braid; cream silk shirt with elastic belt. Collection CNCS/Opéra national de Paris. Photograph by Pascal François/CNCS

Costume for Rudolf Nureyev in the role of Romeo, Act II, Romeo and Juliet, Opéra national de Paris. 1984. Velvet, silk, silver lamé, metallic lace, and sequins. Collection of CNCS/Opéra national de Paris. Photograph by Pascal François/CNCS

Courtesy of the de Young Museum, San Francisco

Rudolf Nureyev: A Life in Dance

October 6, 2012- February 17, 2013

This post is featured on the HuffPost

Battling Cancer

To My Readers,

This post may well be my last for a while. I am having a tumor removed tomorrow, and if the results show cancer, I will be off for a while. As it is now, I am suffering a great deal, and don't have the enthusiasm and energy to blog. Many thanks for your support.

As Alinka Echeverria (see previous post) said to me, LOVE heals everything. So let's hope for the best.

Milagritos

Courtesy © Alinka Echeverria

MILAGRITOS: "Small Miracles" by Alinka Echeverria

Small Miracles continues the exploration of the relationship between image, miracle and faith in contemporary Mexico. For this new series, Alinka Echeverria visited the schrine of the Virgin of Juquila which is hidden in the highlands of Oaxaca in southern Mexico: a rural state facing deep economic crisis, mass emigration to the USA and a prevailing drug war. Popular legend asserts that the statue of the Virgin and her long black hair remained undamaged during a tragic fire that destroyed the village. Since then, she has been venerated by millions who visit her shrine in order to ask for miracles and give thanks for those she has bestowed upon them. Echeverria isolates the milagritos - bronze pendants that are attached to the Virgin and represent the object of prayer - and photographs them using the pin and string they originally came with.

This series is presented in light boxes with a rich wooden frame, giving the impression of an elevated altarpiece, with the miracle becoming a glowing token of hope mounted on a cardinal red background.

Alinka Echeverria was born in Mexico City in 1981. Her work explores the boundaries between documentary and fine art. Small Miracles is the first series of work produced by Echeverria since 'Road to Tepeyac', for which she won the prestigious French prize HSBC Prix pour la Photographie in 2011.

Alinka Echeverria

'Small Miracles'

 A plea for a chicken

 A plea for a husband conquering his alcoholism

A heart for love

Thanks for the healing of broken bones

 A plea for a good crop of maize

Courtesy of Alinka Echeverria / EB&Flow, UK

Small Miracles was on exhibit at EB&Flow, UK

Fairy Tale Fantasies; " Black Antoinette " by Olaf Hajek

Black Antoinette is a collection of Olaf Hajek's most recent work that was created over the last three years - a striking selection of personal artwork, editorial contracts, and commercial portraits that showcase a remarkable style that has become more free and painterly during this time. His  colorful illustrations and textured paintings are infused with a folkloristic naivety and freshness. The German artist masterfully melds influences from West African and Latin American art to create surreal juxtapositions of fairy tale fantasies and disordered realities.

Based in Berlin, Olaf Hajek is currently one of the world's most successful and well-known illustrative artists. His work can be seen in newspapers including the New York Times and the Washington Post, in magazines such as Rolling Stone and Time, in advertisements, and on stamps for Great Britain's Royal Mail. Over the last several years his personal work has captured increasing attention on the international art market. After exhibitions in London, New York, Atlanta, Buenos Aires, and Cape Town, Olaf Hajek's artworks are now on view at Gestalten Space in Berlin.

This exhibit also celebrates the launch of Olaf Hajek's second monograph Black Antoinette.

The exhibit

 © African Beauty, 2011 by Olaf Hajek. Courtesy of Gestalten

 © African Nature Man, 2011 by Olaf Hajek. Courtesy of Gestalten

 © Milagros, 2010 by Olaf Hajek. Courtesy of Gestalten

 © Milagros 2, 2010 by Olaf Hajek. Courtesy of Gestalten

 © Chopin, 2009 by Olaf Hajek. Courtesy of Gestalten

 © REM, 2011 by Olaf Hajek. Courtesy of Gestalten

 © Tree of Ancient Times, 2011 by Olaf Hajek. Courtesy of Gestalten

© Oranges are Not the Only Fruit, 2011 by Olaf Hajek. Courtesy of Gestalten

Black Antoinette by Olaf Hajek

Illustrations from the book

Images Courtesy of Gestalten

Black Antoinette, The Work of Olaf Hajek will be released in August in the US.
Courtesy of Gestalten, Berlin.