On January 6, the 20th anniversary of the genius ballet dancer’s death, Rudolf Nureyev: A Life in Dance exhibition continues its successful run at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.
The only American venue to display the show, jointly organized by the Centre national du costume de scene (Moulins, France) and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the de Young seems exceedingly suitable for an exhibition of this magnitude.
More than 70 costumes, in which Nureyev performed, or in creation of which he participated as a precise and meticulous co-designer in addition to his assigned work as a choreographer, are displayed in the second floor dark-walled angular galleries.
Depicting one of the brightest stars of international ballet in his classical roles in Swan Lake, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, as well as in rehearsal studios around the world, the photographs and video clips in the exhibition provide a rare glimpse into the life of a dancer whose occupation became his whole life.
The story line of the show follows Nureyev’s student years at the Kirov School in Leningrad; his defection from the former Soviet Union in 1961; his subsequent popularity in the West; his glorious international career; his 15-year partnership with an acclaimed ballerina Margot Fonteyn, and his relentless pursuit of perfection as Director of the Opera national de Paris in the last ten years before his untimely death from complication of AIDS in 1993.
In one of the exhibition galleries, the heart-wrenching Kingdom of the Shades sequence from La Bayadere is projected on a transparent curtain and a dark wall that serves as a backdrop for white velvet and lace costume of Solor. The costume, created for Nureyev’s by Martin Kamer in 1974, is adorned with rhinestones that shine like white diamonds – a small tribute to the brilliance of the dancer who made history in this and many other roles and costumes.
By saying, “As long as my ballets are danced, I will live,” Rudolf Nureyev predicted his fate and foresaw his glory – as alive today as the classic dance itself.
Rudolf Nureyev: A Life in Danceruns through February 17 at the de Young Museum at Golden Gate Park, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr., San Francisco. Call 415-750-3600 or visit www.deyoungmuseum.org
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