Museum of Russian Icons Fall 2019 Newsletter MoRI_FALL-WINTER_2019_newsletter

NEWS from the MUSEUM OF RUSSIAN ICONS Fall-Winter 2019 November 15, 2019 — March 8, 2020 The Museum is pleased to announce an exhibition of photographs of the Ballets Russes by Emil Otto Hoppé. In the 1920s and 30s Emil Otto Hoppé (British, German-born, 1878–1972) was one of the most sought- after photographers in the world. Hoppé’s studio in South Kensington was a magnet for the rich and famous, and for years he actively led the global art scene on both sides of the Atlantic, making over thirty photographically illustrated books, and establishing himself as a pioneering figure in photographic art. Emil Otto Hoppé and the Ballets Russes pays homage to the genius of two men: Sergei Diaghilev who, more than a century ago, founded the Ballets Russes, and Emil Otto Hoppé, who, between 1911 and 1921, photographed the champions of that illustrious company. With both studio portraits and ballet sequences, this visual chronicle presents not only the leading stars of the Ballets Russes such as Vaslav Nijinsky, Adolph Bolm, Michel and Vera Fokine and Tamara Karsavina, but also celebrities whose connection with Diaghilev was tangential—such as Mathilde Kschessinska, Anna Pavlova and Hubert Stowitts. The pure sensuality of Hoppé's riveting Ballets Russes portraits reveals the essence of the dancers who, in performing their innovative choreography in costumes by Léon Bakst, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Nicholas Roerich, Alexandre Benois, and fashion designer Coco Chanel, among others, took their audiences by storm with performances that shocked the senses and seduced the world into the modern era. Sponsored by Members' Opening Reception Thursday, November 14, 6:00-8:00pm, Free. Register by Sunday, November 10. Call 978.598.5000 Museum members are invited to bring a nonmember guest to introduce them to the Museum and get the first look at this extraordinary new exhibition. We'll have performances by dancers from the Commonwealth Ballet Company, champagne, infused vodka, and French-themed hors d'oeuvres. Not a member? Join today at museumofrussianicons.org/ membership. Hubert Stowitts, 1920 (detail) © E.O. Hoppé Estate Collection / Curatorial Assistance Inc.