The outstanding catalogue that accompanied the exhibition “Designing Dreams, A Celebration of Léon Bakst” has been named by the New York Times art critic Roberta Smith as one of the best art books of 2017.
The exhibition by the same name was held at the New National Museum of Monaco’s Villa Sauber from October 23, 2016, to January 15, 2017.
The publication, edited by Célia Bernasconi, John E. Bowlt and artist Nick Mauss, brings together the scientific contributions of leading researchers, art historians and dance historians to pay tribute to the greatest stage designer of the modern era. It highlights Bakst’s greatest achievements for the stage, but also aims to demonstrate his decisive influence in textile design and fashion.
The fabric covers of each work, available in five colours, were stencilled by Nick Mauss during a residency in Monaco, inspired by motifs created by Léon Bakst.
Designing Dreams, A Celebration by Léon Bakst, presents in detail Bakst’s drawings, costumes and motifs for fabrics, his unpublished writings on decoration and fashion, new studies on his sources of inspiration and the sharing of his vision. It also includes the installations and scenography realised in situ by Nick Mauss.