Costume for ‘Coppelia’ by Delibes: Automat
Georg Kirsta
Description
Subject Matter:
Coppelia is a ballet by French composer Leo Delibes. It opened in Paris in May of 1870. It is a comical twist on E.T.A. Hoffman's "Der Sandmann" (1816).
Georg Kirsta was a Russian painter and costume and set designer who worked for European theatres and ballet companies. After the Russian Revolution, Kirsta emigrated to Berlin, Germany and then to Vienna, Austria; in the late 1930s, Kirsta moved to London. Throughout Kirsta's career, he worked for Bronislava Nijinska, Hedy Pfundmayr, Grete Wiesenthal, Hilde Holger, and Helene Tels; Kirsta also worked with the Metropolitain Ballet and the London Festival Ballet. In 1951, Kirsta organized a new Original Ballet Russe after the death of his associate Wassily de Basil, the co-creator of Les Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo with George Balanchine. Kirsta had an integral role in the popularization of ballet across the world.
Physical Description:
This drawing is a costume design on an off-white background. The costume has single sleeve, on the right, in the form of a simple grey cord that continues along the neck line of the costume; it is echoed by two grey cords, one at the top and one at the bottom of the narrow white flounce that serves as a skirt. The bodice is orange.
Usage Rights:
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