If the history of the Bolshoi Theatre goes back to the creation of the troupe, the history of the Bolshoi’s Museum starts with the establishment of the collection. The basis of the collection was the archives of the Imperial Theatre. Today, the Museum collection contains more than 100,000 unique items, which are displayed regularly in Russian and foreign exhibitions and included in numerous publications on the history of musical theatre.
Visitors to the jubilee exhibition will be able to find the answers to many interesting questions. How much did tickets to the Bolshoi cost in 1824? In what costumes did Leonid Sobinov, Galina Vishnevskaya, Maya Plisetskaya perform? What did avant-garde performances look like? What did the Bolshoi artists write to the soldiers at the front? What is the difference between the Theatre of the 19th, 20th and 21st century?
For the first time will be exhibited unique items, including sketches for the first Bolshoi’s productions of operas Askold's Grave (1835) and A Life for the Tsar (1842); the vase, gifted to the Theatre’s architect Alberto Cavos by Napoleon III; drawings and photographs of the ballet master Alexander Gorsky; the only picture of Feodor Chaliapin as Demon by Alexander Golovin; Chaliapin’s sword, with which the great bass made his debut at the Bolshoi as Mephistopheles; fans belonging to Maria Taglioni and Anna Pavlova; autographs of famous artists of the 20th and 21st centuries; 120 costumes , the oldest of which dated from the 18th century. A large part of the exhibition will depict how the stage objects become museum pieces over time: scenery sketches, props, theatrical shoes, hats, make-up supplies, etc. Most of them are away from the public, props and costumes can only be seen from the auditorium. At the exhibition, all these theatrical details can be seen in the immediate vicinity.
A documentary about the Bolshoi’s Museum and a catalogue of its collection have been prepared for the exhibition. The exhibition is held two steps away from the Bolshoi Theatre – at the Moscow State Exhibition Hall ‘New Manege’ (Georgievsky pereulok, 3), on 19.12.2018 - 10.02.2019.
Working hours of the ‘New Manege’: Tue.- sun. from 12.00 to 21.00. Every third Sunday of the month – free admission day.
Art. Lebedev Studio