Hurlingham Fine Arts

Description

A delightful watercolour of prima ballerina, Alexandra Danilova, playing the Street Dancer with Léonide Massine as the Hussar in Le Beau Danube. Danilova had a long professional partnership with Massine. She danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo from 1938-58. As the genius choreographer, Massine created three roles for Danilova which established her as one of the leading prima ballerinas. The Can-Can dancer in La Boutique Fantasque (Rossini), the Swan Queen in Swan Lake Act 2 (Tchaikovsky) and the Street Dancer in Le Beau Danube (Johann Strauss).
Born in 1904, she trained at the Imperial Theatre School, St.Petersburg. She graduated in 1921 and entered the Opera-Ballet at the Maryinsky Theatre. Sergei Diaghilev met her in Paris when she was only twenty and persuaded her to join his company, the Ballet Russes. During her five years with Diaghilev she established herself as a prima ballerina.

The artist, Eve M.S.Guthrie, knew most of the dancers personally, attending many of their performances. She exhibited her works at The Medici Society Gallery, 63 Bold Street, Liverpool, July 13th-27th 1938. The Medici Society, 26 Thurloe Street, South Kensington, London S.W.7, ' Exhibition of Watercolour Sketches of the Russian Ballet by Eve M.S. Guthrie', September 7th-20th,1938. She exhibited at the same gallery the following year,July 13th-26th,1939. The Lady Lever Gallery, Port Sunlight, Cheshire, December 2nd, 1939-January 5th,1940. 21 Station Square, Harrogate, 'Exhibition of Watercolour Sketches of The Russian (and Sadlers Wells) Ballet'. June 25th-July 8th, 1945.

Provenance:
By family descent to the artist's granddaughter

Good condition