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Stage set design for an unrealized ballet

late 1940 's

Not on view

In this set design for a ballet, artist Dorothea Tanning drew on many of the Surrealist elements of her paintings, such as the long, flowing hair in the frame at left and the numerous open doors in this whimsical and strange scene. The billowing fabric contributes to a sense of movement, despite an almost haunting absence of figures on the stage.

Artist: Dorothea Tanning (1910-2012)
Title: Stage set design for an unrealized ballet
Date: late 1940 's
Object Type: Drawing
Medium: Watercolor over traces of graphite on paper
Dimensions: Overall: 10 x 14 in. (25.4 x 35.6 cm) Framed: 19 x 14 1/4 in. (48.26 x 36.195 cm)
Credit Line: Museum purchase, Phyllis C. Wattis Fund for major Accessions
Accession Number: 2021.78