Picasso's curtain is both a treasured work of art and a legendary piece of New York City history: It had previously been installed at the Four Seasons Restaurant in the Seagrams Building for 55 years before finding a new home at New-York Historical.
Picasso's curtain is both a treasured work of art and a legendary piece of New York City history: It had previously been installed at the Four Seasons Restaurant in the Seagrams Building for 55 years before finding a new home at New-York Historical.
2nd floor, Dexter Hall
Please note: The Picasso curtain is off-view until Sept. 5.
On display at The New York Historical since 2015 is a masterpiece by Pablo Picasso—the painted theater curtain for the ballet Le Tricorne (1919). It is the first work by Picasso, and one with great wall power and a New York history, to enter New-York Historical's collection.
Pablo Picasso painted the stage curtain for the two-act ballet The Three-Cornered Hat (El sombrero de tres picos or Le tricorne). The ballet and curtain were commissioned by the impresario Sergei Diaghilev for his avant-garde, Paris-based Ballets Russes, the most influential ballet company of the twentieth-century. The ballet was choreographed by Léonide Massine with music by the Spanish composer Manuel de Falla. It premiered on July 22, 1919, at the Alhambra Theatre in London with sets, costume designs, and the monumental stage curtain created by Picasso. Picasso biographer John Richardson once called “Le Tricorne” the artist’s “supreme theatrical achievement.” The production, which was conceived by Diaghilev and Massine during a trip to Spain, was enhanced by its many Spanish collaborators, including Picasso who also designed the costumes and set for the ballet.
Watch a time-lapse video of the curtain being installed in the Museum:
Exhibitions at The New York Historical are made possible by Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang and Oscar Tang, the Saunders Trust for American History, the Evelyn & Seymour Neuman Fund, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. WNET is the media sponsor.
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