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Overview
Costumer Barbara Karinska was one of countless emigrees flung westward from czarist Russia by the Bolsheviks in the 1920s. Costumes by Karinska chronicles the life and work of this remarkably talented woman, a consummate perfectionist who brought unprecedented quality, innovation, and beauty to costumes designed and executed for film, theater, opera, and dance. Working behind the scenes as one of Balanchine's closest and most important collaborators, Karinska made an enormous contribution to many of the great ballet masterpieces of this century, dressing over seventy-five of the choreographer's productions. This was, however, by no means her only professional association in a career spanning forty-five years. She worked with many other renowned choreographers, producers, and directors, such as Frederick Ashton, Agnes de Mille, Bronislava Nijinska, Jerome Robbins, Louis Jouvet, Franco Zeffirelli, Mike Todd, Victor Fleming, and George Cukor. She took sketches by such artists as Andre Derain, Marc Chagall, Isamu Noguchi, Balthus, and Salvador Dali and transformed them into tangible, wearable apparel. The lively text by Toni Bentley, a former dancer with the New York City Ballet, is full of anecdotes from those who knew the designer, revealing a sophisticated, independent woman with great style and aristocratic flair. Also included in the book is a foreword by artist and dance aficionado Edward Gorey; an essay by Lincoln Kirstein, co-founder of the New York City Ballet, about Balanchine's Firebird (for which Karinska designed costumes based on sketches by Chagall); correspondence between Karinska and French actor/director Louis Jouvet; and a complete chronology of Karinska's career.Karinska's costumes ran the gamut of theatrical genres, from burlesque and Broadway to Shakespeare and Moliere. As one of legendary choreographer George Ballanchine's closest collaborators, Karinska dressed over 75 of his productions. This lavishly illustrated chronicle of Karinska's life and career is filled with anecdotes from those who knew her, plus an astounding collection of 242 personal photos and costume sketches, 78 in full color.
Editorials
Library Journal
Of Barbara Karinska, George Balanchine said, "There is Shakespeare for literature and Karinska for costume." While any comparison to Shakespeare is hyperbole, Karinska was certainly among the greatest costume designers of her generation. She was one of Balanchine's closest collaborators, and her work for film, theater, opera, and dance helped define the look of an era. Among others, she worked with Agnes de Mille, Bronislava Nijinska, Jerome Robbins, Louis Jouvet, Franco Zeffirelli, Mike Todd, Victor Fleming, and George Cukor. One of the highest moments in her long career was the remounting of Firebird in 1970 for the New York City Ballet based on designs by Chagall. Entertainingly written by Bentley (Winter Season, A Dancer's Journal, LJ 8/82. o.p.), a former dancer with the New York City Ballet, this lavishly illustrated volume is recommended for costume, theater, and dance collections.-Daniel J. Lombardo, Jones Lib., Amherst, Mass.Book Details
Published
September 1, 1995
Publisher
New York : H.N. Abrams, 1995.
Pages
192
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780810935167