Born Lev Samoylovich Rosenberg into a middle-class Jewish family in Russia, he later adopted a pseudonym derived from his grandmother's surname, Baxter. Leon Bakst was educated in St. Petersburg, where he attended the gymnasium and the Academy of Arts. He began his professional life as a copyist and illustrator of educational materials, but quickly switched to portrait painting and illustrated popular magazines. But these jobs didn't pay much and he took a job teaching art to the children of Grand Duke Vladimir. He studied in Paris with a number of well-known artists and with a Finnish landscape painter. One day he came into contact with Aleksandr Benua and his circle, an encounter that would shape Leon Bakst's taste and expand his artistic vision. Together with Benua and Sergey Diagilev, he founded the influential group World of Art and was largely responsible for the technical excellence of their influential magazine. The very first issue of World of Art stunned its readers, who had never seen anything like it in Russia. The magazine itself was a work of art. Its emblem was a lone eagle on a mountain. Leon Bakst designed it and said the emblem represented art itself. A dedicated professional who could absorb stylistic developments even in mid-career, Bakst was arguably the most accomplished painter and designer in the World of Art group. His early preferences were for realistic painters and old masters such as Rembrandt and Velazquez. The moving line and relaxed postures in his portraits also suggest the influence of his close friend Valentin Serov. Later he turned to portraiture and painted, among others, the artist Filipp Malyavin, the philosopher Vasily Rozanov, the poet Andrei Bely and the poetess Zinaida Gippius. Through Benois and his circle, Leon Bakst was attracted to the Oriental style. Motifs from ancient Greece and Egypt became signatures of his painting and theoretical work. The Benua circle also introduced him to symbolism and Art Nouveau. Bakst influenced and developed Art Nouveau by bringing in a curvy line as well as bright colors, oriental prints and flowing draperies.
The portrait of the dancer Isadora Duncan in brush and ink is typical of his drawing art in its sensual and flowing movement. Bakst also practiced mainly book design, interior decoration, held exhibitions and focused on theater. He made his theatrical debut with designs for stage productions at the theaters of St. Petersburg. Subsequently, he was commissioned to stage several works in theaters. Leon Bakst also collaborated in the staging of the Ballets Russes. Here he acted as artistic director and his stage designs quickly brought him international fame. Leon Bakst worked on more theater productions than any other artist and thus his name became permanently associated with the Ballets Russes. The designs for the ballet caused a great stir in the scene. Leon Bakst was particularly influenced by exotic and oriental fantasies. The sensual use of color led to new fashions in clothing and interiors, and soon fashionable ladies in oriental-inspired clothing were seen sitting on huge floor cushions in rooms with curtains. In addition, his designs for Greek ballets were an inspiration in their use of hot tones and geometric patterns. In addition, he also created beautiful dresses, such as his Victorian designs or the designs for different productions. Leon Bakst's designs emerged from the style and choreography of a particular ballet. He integrated vertical space with sensual movement on stage. His chic costumes encouraged smooth movement without constricting the body. The sets enclosed the action, but still left maximum space for dancing. Leon Bakst's exotic and sensual designs are sought after, but the success was in how they were presented on stage
×
Passionate Customer Service
.jpg "The Sleeping Beauty Wolf by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Costume design for a bacchante in")
.jpg)
.jpg "Estrella, Design for a Costume for the Ballet Carnival Composed by Robert Schumann, 1919 by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
_fr_-_(MeisterDrucke-113103).jpg "Nijinsky")
_fr_-_(MeisterDrucke-113103).jpg)
.jpg "Set design for the ballet Scheherazade, c1913 by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Jewish Dance. Costume Design for the Ballet Cléopatre, 1910 by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Décor for Debussy")
.jpg)
 1911 (pencil and gouache on paper) - (MeisterDrucke-98302).jpg "Sketch for the ballet La Peri, 1911 by Leon Bakst")
 1911 (pencil and gouache on paper) - (MeisterDrucke-98302).jpg)
.jpg "The Faun Nijinsky, costume design for the Ballets Russes by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Odalisque. Costume Design for the Ballet Sheherazade by N. Rimsky-Korsakov by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Almee. Costume Design for the Ballet Sheherazade by N. Rimsky-Korsakov by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Vaslav Nijinsky in the Ballet The Afternoon of a Faun by C. Debussy by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Maria Kuznetsova, Costume Design for")
.jpg)
.jpg "Léon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Costume Design for One of the Three Odalisques for Scheherazade by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Sleeping Beauty, Ballet Costume Design, c1913 by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Dioné, drawing by Bakst made by Jeanne Paquin. Costumes Parisiens no.73 by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
 1911 - (MeisterDrucke-51220).jpg "Costume Design for Nijinsky in the Ballet")
 1911 - (MeisterDrucke-51220).jpg)
.jpg "Costume Design for Nijinsky in the Ballet")
.jpg)
.jpg "Costume Designs for Pamina and Monostatos in")
.jpg)
.jpg "Costume design for Prince Charming at Court, from Sleeping Beauty, 1921 by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Costume design for the ballet Carnaval by R. Schumann by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Costume design for the Blue Sultan in")
.jpg)
.jpg "Peasant Woman. Costume Design for the Vaudeville Old Moscow at the Théâtre Femina in Paris by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
 1908 (charcoal on paper) - (MeisterDrucke-102779).jpg "Portrait of Anna Pavlova (1881-1931), 1908 by Leon Bakst")
 1908 (charcoal on paper) - (MeisterDrucke-102779).jpg)
.jpg "Allegories of Love - Cupid with a Torch and Arrow, 1803 by Leon Bakst"){kind=icon}
.jpg){kind=icon}
 (see also 4728) - (MeisterDrucke-103952).jpg "Costume Design for a Bacchante in")
 (see also 4728) - (MeisterDrucke-103952).jpg)
.jpg "Costume design for The Tsarevitch, from The Firebird by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "A Study for a figure of a dancer for Scheherazade by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-16703).jpg "The Butterfly (Costume Design for Anna Pavlova) by Leon Bakst")
 - (MeisterDrucke-16703).jpg)
.jpg "Englishman. Costume Design for the Ballet The Magic Toy Shop by G. Rossini, 1919 by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Costume design for Paganini in")
.jpg)
.jpg "Costume design for Harlequin, from Sleeping Beauty by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
_(Stage_design_-_(MeisterDrucke-1588914).jpg "Stage Design for the Ballet Daphnis and Chloe by Maurice Ravel by Leon Bakst")
_(Stage_design_-_(MeisterDrucke-1588914).jpg)
.jpg "Costume design for a Dancing Girl by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Iskander, Costume Design for the Ballet La Peri Music by Paul Dukas by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Costume Design for the Ballet Carnaval by R. Schumann by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Title Page of Souvenir Program for Ballets Russes by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Costume Design for the Ballet Sheherazade by N. Rimsky-Korsakov, 1910 by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Costume Design for the Ballet")
.jpg)
.jpg "Ephebe, costume design for a Ballets Russes production of Tcherepnins Narcisse by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Elysium, 1906 by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "The Wolf, costume sketch for Tchaikovsky")
.jpg)
.jpg "Odalisque, costume sketch for the ballet")
.jpg)
.jpg "Potiphar, costume sketch for Richard Strauss")
.jpg)
.jpg "Costume Sketch for a Character in the Ballet")
.jpg)
.jpg "Costume Sketch for the Greek Dance from")
.jpg)
.jpg "Potiphar")
.jpg)
.jpg "Sketch of the setting for Rimski-Korsakov")
.jpg)
.jpg "Costume Design for a Dancer from Cleopatra by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "A pair of costume designs for female dancers from")
.jpg)
.jpg "Helen of Troy, Costume Sketch for Emile Verhaeren")
.jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1667469).jpg "The Princess, costume sketch for Igor Stravinski")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1667469).jpg)
.jpg "Bayadere and Peacock, Costume Sketch for Reynaldo Hahn")
.jpg)
.jpg "The Fiancee, costume sketch for Reynaldo Hahn")
.jpg)
_pour_le_ball_-_(MeisterDrucke-1318156).jpg "Ballets Russes: \"Bayadere\" Costume Design by Leon Bakst for the Ballet \"The Blue God\" by Michel Fokine by Leon Bakst")
_pour_le_ball_-_(MeisterDrucke-1318156).jpg)
.jpg "Costume Design for a Male Dancer in Danse Juive, Playing a Tambourine by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Sketch for a set for the fourth act of Gabriele d")
.jpg)
.jpg "Costume Sketch for a Bacchante, from the Ballet")
.jpg)
_Rimski_Korsakov_(Rimski-Ko_-_(MeisterDrucke-1042424).jpg "Costume for")
_Rimski_Korsakov_(Rimski-Ko_-_(MeisterDrucke-1042424).jpg)
.jpg "Messenger, Costume Sketch for Euripides")
.jpg)
.jpg "Costume for a")
.jpg)
.jpg "Chiarina, Costume Sketch for the Ballet")
.jpg)
.jpg "Costume Sketch for a Man from the Ballet")
.jpg)
.jpg "Comtesse, Costume Sketch for Tchaikovsky")
.jpg)
.jpg "Costume of the Chief-Eunuch for Rimski-Korsakov")
.jpg)
.jpg "Noble Waltz, costume sketch for the ballet")
.jpg)
.jpg "Odalisque. Costume design for the ballet Sheherazade by N. Rimsky-Korsakov by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "The Blue God, costume sketch for Reynaldo Hahn")
.jpg)
.jpg "Russian Ballet: drawing for the ballet")
.jpg)
.jpg "Costume Design for the Ballet")
.jpg)
.jpg "Nymph, costume sketch for Claude Debussy")
.jpg)
.jpg "Costume Design for \"Ammoun\", Depicting a Nubian Male Dancer by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Costume design for \"Moskwa\", 1922 by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Scenery Design for the Imperial Palace, from The Martyr of St. Sebastian by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
 for his role as the Blue God 1911 - (MeisterDrucke-114825).jpg "Costume Design for Nijinsky (1889-1950) for His Role as the")
 for his role as the Blue God 1911 - (MeisterDrucke-114825).jpg)
.jpg "Costume Sketch for a Beotian Woman from the Ballet")
.jpg)
.jpg "Richard Strauss \"The Legend of Joseph\" Opera de Paris, May 1914. Costume by Leon Bakst by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "The Nymph Echo, costume sketch for Nicolai Cherepnin")
.jpg)
.jpg "Nymph, costume sketch for Claude Debussy")
.jpg)
.jpg "The afternoon of a fauna by Claude Debussy, costume by Leon Bakst by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "The Green Monster, costume sketch for Nicolai Rimski-Korsakov")
.jpg)
 1908 (charcoal on paper) - (MeisterDrucke-69061).jpg "Portrait of Isadora Duncan, 1908 by Leon Bakst")
 1908 (charcoal on paper) - (MeisterDrucke-69061).jpg)
.jpg "The Peri, costume sketch for Paul Dukas")
.jpg)
.jpg "A Costume Design for \"Salome\": Herodiade by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
_pour_le_ballet_Narcisse_de_N_-_(MeisterDrucke-1325209).jpg "Narcissus (Costume design by Leon Bakst for the ballet \"Narcissus\" by Nicolas Tcherepnine) by Leon Bakst")
_pour_le_ballet_Narcisse_de_N_-_(MeisterDrucke-1325209).jpg)
.jpg "Costume design for a woman, from Judith, 1922 by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Costume Sketch for the")
.jpg)
.jpg "Costume Sketch for an Indian Youth for the Ballet")
.jpg)
.jpg "The Chinese Mandarin, Costume Design for \"Sleeping Beauty\" by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Costume design for a ballet by Igor Stravinsky, 1913 by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-62029).jpg "Costume Design for Salome in")
 - (MeisterDrucke-62029).jpg)
_pour_le_ballet_Cleopatre_des_-_(MeisterDrucke-1323072).jpg "Dancer Costume designed by Leon Bakst for the ballet Cleopatra by Leon Bakst")
_pour_le_ballet_Cleopatre_des_-_(MeisterDrucke-1323072).jpg)
.jpg "Constanza, Costume Sketch for the Ballet after Carlo Goldoni")
.jpg)
.jpg "Set design for")
.jpg)
.jpg "Scenery design for a Hindu Ballet, probably Le Dieu Bleu by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Set design for a Ballets Russes production of Le Dieu Bleu (The Blue God), 1911 by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "A Costume Design for")
.jpg)
.jpg "Peasant woman. Costume design for the Vaudeville Old Moscow at the Théâtre Femina in Paris by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
.jpg "Costume Design for the Ballet Oriental Fantasy Ballet Hindu by Leon Bakst")
.jpg)
+43 4257 29415
support@meisterdrucke.com
Mo-Do: 7:00 - 16:00 | Fr: 7:00 - 13:00
