VLADIMIR BARJANSKY (1892-1968) THÉÂTRE MOGADOR / LA BAYADÈRE. 1926.
60 1/2x44 1/4 inches, 153 3/4x112 1/2 cm. Durel & Douay, Paris.
Condition B+: restored losses, repaired tears and creases in margins and along vertical and horizontal folds.
Born in Odessa, Barjansky came to Paris in 1919 and became a popular designer of costumes for theatrical, ballet and movie productions. He was forced to leave France prior to the Second World War and ended up in Hollywood where he worked on movies. Most of what remains of his work are delightful, softly stylized, Art Deco theatre programs and magazine covers. His style was on a par with the master Art Deco fashion illustrators of the era such as Georges Lepape and Georges Barbier. La Bayadère (The Temple Dancer) was an operetta, originally performed in 1877. It opened at the Mogador theatre on January 30, 1926, and was the first production staged by the Isola Brothers, who ran the theatre from 1925 through 1936. The performance starred Maria Kousnezoff, a Russian opera singer and ballet dancer. Barjansky had previously illustrated the performer for the cover of Comoedia Illustré on September 15, 1920. She likely only appeared in this production for a brief time, as most programs of the era refer to Maguy-Warna dacing in the leading role. previously unrecorded - rare.