DIAGHILEV and the Golden Age of the Ballets Russes

Picasso stage curtain - picture taken from theguardian.co.uk

Diaghilev was known to be a dictator, a charmer, and a charlatan. Nonetheless, he was a genius.

 Diaghilev changed the whole idea of ballet, by originating thoroughly new ones instead of repeating the previous ones. His dazzling, unusual, and glamorous designs and colors used ever since his first ballets (1909-14) initiated a new artistic breakthrough in the 20^th century.

Even though he was best known for his music, Diaghilev transformed the theatre, the fashion, as well as the daily life through ballets- by creating a spectacle as whole instead of looking at it in separate parts.

We can see through the exhibition the development of his designs, as well as his collaboration with other avant-gardist designers, as Matisse, Braque, and Coco Chanel for the costumes, amongst many others.

However it is the 10 foot tall stage curtain with high cubism characters, created by Picasso- during his collaboration with Cocteau and Diaghilev in 1917 - exhibited at the V&A that impressed me the most.