The Countess and the Impresario

The Countess and the Impresario

Proust's Muse, The Countess Greffulhe

Late this autumn I went to see a fashion exhibition, 

Proust's Muse, The Countess Greffulhe in New York, at the Museum at FIT (The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City). 

I knew nothing of its subject, Marie Anatole Louise Élisabeth de Caraman-Chimay (1860–1952) —The Countess Greffulhe—a French socialite who after having married the extremely wealthy Count Henry Greffulhe, became very influential.

According to Dr Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of the museum, “today, when fashion is increasingly regarded as an art form, her attitude is especially relevant.” Arguably, historians of the day debated that no other patron did more for music.

Just before you step into the actual exhibit gallery, there is a space for viewing a film which introduces the exhibit and gives a brief background to the importance of the Countess. And that’s where I learned she had raised funds, produced and promoted operas and shows, including Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. A subject we covered in my article, “Pirouettes in the Sand” (SQ4).

Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev was a Russian art critic, 

ballet impresario and founder of the Ballets Russes, from which many famous dancers and choreographers 

would come to fame.

At once, the exhibition took on a more personal interest for me because, as research for my article, I travelled between Sitges, Madrid and Washington D.C., following the exhibit, Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, 1909–1929: When Art Danced with Music. I studied biographies of Diaghilev’s main players and knowing what was happening in Sitges at that time—I pieced together the fragmented histories and could write about what I believe is a portion of the town’s history that was somewhat lost over time.

Pirouettes in the Sand *

"Las Meninas", Serge Diaghilev’s first Spanish ballet, inspired by the Velázquez painting of the same name, was written in the summer of 1916, when he and Leonide Massine, with other creative cohorts, came to Sitges.

We’ve all heard of the Bolshoi Ballet, and the Kirov Ballet (The Ballet Company of the Mariinsky Theatre), two of the most famous ballet companies founded in the 18^th century, which continue to tour the world today. One such classical ballet company, founded by Russian impresario Serge Diaghilev in Paris in 1909, the Ballets Russes, became the most innovative ballet dance company of the 20^th century, moving traditional geometric ballet into more natural modern movement.

Diaghilev employed the talents of some of the most renowned artists and designers of the day to help bring his productions to life linking art, design, and performance. The costumes, set designs, paintings, drawings, and prints were created by the likes of Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Coco Chanel among others, and the music was written by Claude Debussy, Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Prokofiev, and Erik Satie, to name a few.

The artistic collaborations also included Russian choreographer and dancer, Léonide Massine (Leonid Fyodorovich Myasin), who, from 1915 to 1921, was the principal choreographer of the Ballets Russes, where he sometimes combined elements of Spanish dance with ballet.

The short ballet, "Las Meninas" inspired by the Velázquez painting of the same name, was written in the summer of 1916, when he and Massine with others, came to Sitges. Diaghilev was said to be in "ecstasy at the beauty of Spain". Gabriel Fauré had the task of setting the ballet to music and selected his Pavane in F-sharpminor, op. 50, which originally dates back to 1887. Here it finally gained fame and is now intrinsically associated with this ballet. Las Meninas, or The Gardens of Aranjuez as it is sometimes called, shortly thereafter became a part of the Ballets Russes’ repertoire.

The designs for the production were by Barcelona born José-María Sert.

And it is no small wonder that these men came to Sitges at that time—because Sitges had a growing reputation for attracting artists and writers, and was the home of Santiago Rusiñol, a very close friend of Sert. José-María's costumes were stunning and enormous. The skirts were said to be twice the length of arms and the wigs were twice the width of the shoulders! They looked wonderful on stage (though the iron panniers, frames supporting the skirt, cut painfully into the dancers’ shins).

From an Australian production of Las Meninas

At the same time Sitges was alive with activity and notoriety. Miquel Utrillo was finishing the Palau Maricel and acquiring fine art on behalf of its owner, American Charles Deering (who spent most of that summer in Sitges too). There had also been correspondence between Deering and Sert, who was commissioned to create paintings for one of the rooms of the Palau.

The premiere of Las Meninas was in San Sebastian on August 21^st and was performed a week later in Bilbao and again in spring of 1917, in Naples and Rome – all starring the ballerina Olga Khokhlova, Picasso’s first wife.

During this period as the company toured Spain, an enigmatic notebook was kept (either by dancer Félix Fernández Garcia or Massine) with notations in Spanish and Russian containing drawings believed to illustrate the lessons Garcia gave Massine in Flamenco dance with references to Sitges in 1918. 

As great an artistic endeavour as it was, the ballet never achieved wide success, although it remained a favourite of Diaghilev. And it’s nice to know that in some small way, inspiration was found at that time, not only in painting or sculpture but also in dance and design, along the sands of Sitges.

Velaquez's Las Meninas (1656) / Maids of Honour

Pablo Picasso's Maids of Honor (1957)

          

Scribe Note: *This is the first time I’ve published a complete article of the SQ online.

On display is the countess’s famous “Lily Dress” (circa 1896)

Proust’s Muse, one of the exhibitions at the museum today is based on La Mode retrouvée: Les robes trésors de la comtesse Greffulhe, an exhibition that was organized in Paris at the Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris, which is the repository of the countess’s wardrobe. “The Countess Greffulhe believed in the artistic significance of fashion,” says Dr Steele. “And although she patronized the greatest couturiers of her time, her style was very much her own.”

Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of The Museum at FIT, talks about the history of fashion within Marcel Proust's work and the legendary wardrobe of Proust's Muse, Élisabeth de Caraman-Chimay.

Featured Music:
Gabriel Fauré, Paellas et Mélisande, Op. 80 - III. Sicilienne
DuPage Symphony Orchestra
Gabriel Fauré, Paellas et Mélisande, Op. 80 - IV. La mort de Mélisande
DuPage Symphony Orchestra

Featured Photos:
Olivier Salliard © Grégoire Alexandre
Countess Greffulhe by Otto Wegener, www.metmuseum.org

"Proust’s Muse, The Countess Greffulhe" runs through January 7, 2017 at The Museum at FIT in NYC. This exhibition was developed by the Palais Galliera, Fashion Museum of the City of Paris, Paris Musées.