Léon Bakst
1866–1924 · Russian painter and stage and costume designer of the Ballets Russes
Léon Bakst (born Leyb-Khaim Rosenberg in Grodno, 1866; died in Rueil-Malmaison, 1924) was a Russian painter of Jewish origin who reshaped stage and costume design in the years before the First World War. He took the surname Bakst at his first exhibition in 1889, though the origin of the name remains unclear. His importance lies in the vivid colour and exotic richness he brought to ballet and theatre across Europe.
He trained in St Petersburg, where he attended the Academy of Arts as a non-matriculated student while earning money as a book illustrator to support his family. In the early 1890s he exhibited with the Society of Watercolourists, and from 1893 to 1897 he lived in Paris, studying at the Académie Julian. In the mid-1890s he joined the circle around Sergei Diaghilev and Alexandre Benois, which grew into the Mir iskusstva (World of Art) movement. He and Diaghilev co-founded the periodical of that name in 1899, and his graphic work for it brought him wide recognition.
He continued to paint portraits, among them sitters such as Filipp Malyavin, Vasily Rozanov, Andrei Bely and Zinaida Gippius (1906). During the 1905 revolution he contributed to satirical and cultural magazines. From the late 1900s he worked chiefly as a designer for the theatre. In 1908 he became known as Diaghilev's scene painter, and for the Ballets Russes he created sets and costumes for productions including Cleopatra (1909), Scheherazade (1910), Carnaval (1910) and Narcisse (1911). As a Jew he could not live permanently outside the Pale of Settlement, so much of this period was spent in western Europe.
While teaching at Zvantseva's school in St Petersburg he had Marc Chagall as a pupil, from 1908 to 1910. The two parted in 1910, after Bakst advised Chagall against moving to Paris; Chagall went anyway and developed his own style. Bakst was elected to the Imperial Academy of Arts in 1914. His legacy lies in modern ballet design, fashion and the taste of the period for exoticism and intense colour. He broke with Diaghilev in 1922 and died in 1924 near Paris from lung disease.
Works (4)
Léon Bakst painted this oil on canvas in 1908, and it is now held by the Russian State Museum. Its Latin title, Terror antiquus, suggests a theme of fear with ancient roots, but the available information does not specify the scene shown or the circumstances of its commission. Any reading of its composition or symbolism should be treated with caution.
Portrait of Zinaida Gippius, painted by Léon Bakst in 1906 and held by the Tretyakov Gallery. It belongs to the portrait genre and is a fairly small work, measuring about 54 by 44 centimetres. The available information does not describe its composition, technique or commission, so the painting is best approached through close looking.
This watercolour on paper, dated 1906, belongs to the Modernist movement and is held by the State Russian Museum. Its title refers to a vase, yet it is classified as portrait, still life and landscape at once, a mixture of genres that stands out. The available information does not clarify the commission or the specific circumstances of its making.
Dinner is an oil on canvas dated 1902 and painted by Léon Bakst. Its title suggests a scene gathered around a table, but reliable information about the people shown, any commission, or the circumstances of its making is lacking. It is worth looking closely at how the artist arranges the space and handles colour.
Where to see the work
- Russian Museum Saint Petersburg · 2
- Tretyakov Gallery Moscow · 1
Teachers and pupils
Studied with
- Jean-Léon Gérôme 1824–1904
Pupils
- Marc Chagall 1887–1985
Curiosities
A surname of uncertain origin
Bakst took his surname at his first exhibition in 1889. According to the main version it came from the maiden name of his mother's grandmother, but at least two other explanations exist. His lifelong friend Alexandre Benois recalled that Bakst gave a long and confused account, suggesting the artist himself had no clear answer. The origin of the pseudonym therefore remains uncertain.
A pupil who did the opposite
Bakst described Marc Chagall as one of his favourite pupils. When asked to do something, Chagall would listen carefully and then pick up his paints and brushes and produce something completely different from the assignment. That independent attitude foreshadowed the path the young painter would follow after parting from his teacher.