Paris, La Belle Édition, 1913
the uncommon French edition of Barbier's wonderful illustrations. Nijinsky is depicted here in Scheherazade, Carnaval and l'Après-midi d'un Faune.
'The designs, although somewhat fantastic in treatment, do convey the impression produced by Nijinsky in his famous characters' (Beaumont).
'In his brief time, Nijinsky was the most famous male dancer in the world, a pre-eminence due in part to his extraordinary virtuosity. But it was not his virtuosity alone that made him such a powerful stage presence. As contemporary reports make clear, Nijinsky was a great and unusual actor. The ideal Fokine interpreter, he was able to expand a simple choreographic design into a rich dramatic portrait, using, in keeping with Fokine's dicta, the whole body as an expressive instrument. Nijinsky's influence as a dancer was immediate and huge. That ballet, nearly extinguished artistically in western Europe, was revived in this century is due to him and other great dancers of his generation, such as Anna Pavlova and Karsavina, as well as to Diaghilev. That male ballet, utterly extinguished, was also revived is due to him preeminently. Nijinsky was the first real ballet star of the male sex that Europe had seen since the retirement of Auguste Vestris nearly a century earlier. He initiated a renaissance.' (Cohen: The International Encyclopedia of Dance Vol. 4, pp. 646-648).
First edition, limited edition, one of 340 copies on vélin, this being no. 327, from a total edition of 390, folio (33 x 28 cm); title, 8pp. of text in French by Miomandre, black and white vignette, 12 full-page colour illustrations by Barbier printed on rectos only, printed wrappers, slightly stained, repairs to spine but internally very fresh.
'The designs, although somewhat fantastic in treatment, do convey the impression produced by Nijinsky in his famous characters' (Beaumont).
'In his brief time, Nijinsky was the most famous male dancer in the world, a pre-eminence due in part to his extraordinary virtuosity. But it was not his virtuosity alone that made him such a powerful stage presence. As contemporary reports make clear, Nijinsky was a great and unusual actor. The ideal Fokine interpreter, he was able to expand a simple choreographic design into a rich dramatic portrait, using, in keeping with Fokine's dicta, the whole body as an expressive instrument. Nijinsky's influence as a dancer was immediate and huge. That ballet, nearly extinguished artistically in western Europe, was revived in this century is due to him and other great dancers of his generation, such as Anna Pavlova and Karsavina, as well as to Diaghilev. That male ballet, utterly extinguished, was also revived is due to him preeminently. Nijinsky was the first real ballet star of the male sex that Europe had seen since the retirement of Auguste Vestris nearly a century earlier. He initiated a renaissance.' (Cohen: The International Encyclopedia of Dance Vol. 4, pp. 646-648).
First edition, limited edition, one of 340 copies on vélin, this being no. 327, from a total edition of 390, folio (33 x 28 cm); title, 8pp. of text in French by Miomandre, black and white vignette, 12 full-page colour illustrations by Barbier printed on rectos only, printed wrappers, slightly stained, repairs to spine but internally very fresh.
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