Bakst, Lev Nikolayevich

Bakst, Lev Nikolayevich lyĕf nyĭkəlīˈəvyĭch bäkst [key], 1868–1924, Russian scene designer and painter. His original, imaginative style and brilliant color exerted a wide influence on costume, stage setting, and the decorative arts. His set and costume designs made for Diaghilev's ballets Cleopatra and Scheherazade from 1910 to 1912 gained him considerable fame. He was also a fine portrait painter, including among his subjects Diaghilev and Ida Rubinstein.

See C. Bernasconi et al., Designing Dreams: A Celebration of Léon Bakst (museum catalog, 2017); study by C. Spencer (1973).

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