Léon Bakst was an early associate of Sergei Diaghilev, the impresario of the legendary Ballet Russe. Bakst understood that the set and costume designer, the dancer, the actor, and the singer were of equal importance within the spectacle. As such, his designs aimed for maximum interaction between decor and the human figure. Illustrating the luxurious gown worn by singer Maria Kuznetsova as Potiphar's wife in La légende de Joseph, this sumptuous watercolor features all of Bakst's hallmarks, blending perfectly with José-Maria Sert's splendid set décor, also in our collection (1959.39). This precise costume design later served as a prototype for a gallery of femmes fatales and heroines developed by Bakst in other of his spectacles. It also inspired one of Karl Lagerfeld's haute couture creations for Chanel in 1990.

Furio Rinaldi