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COTE BASQUE ENCHERES
607
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OPTION TO PURCHASE ALL SIX PREVIOUS LOTS TOGETHER.
See original version (French)
607
-
OPTION TO PURCHASE ALL SIX PREVIOUS LOTS TOGETHER.
See original version (French)
Voluntary lot
Description
OPTION TO PURCHASE ALL SIX PREVIOUS LOTS TOGETHER.
*Le Portrait de l’Infante* is a ballet created in 2008 by Thierry Malandain, inspired by the paintings of Velázquez, notably *Las Meninas*, and the music of Maurice Ravel. The project combines choreography by Thierry Malandain, sculptures by Manolo Valdés, set and costume design by Jorge Gallardo, and lighting design by Jean-Claude Asquié.
It draws on elements from Velázquez’s famous painting (dwarves, dogs, horses) and myths such as The Punishment of Arachne, transposing them into dance movements. As part of the set design, Thierry Malandain commissioned three ‘Las Meninas’ from the sculptor Manolo Valdés, as a tribute to Velázquez’s masterpiece.
The ballet explores the duality between reality and dreams, moving away from a literal representation to create a ‘faceless portrait’, evoking art as a mirror of identity.
In 2005, thanks to Pierre Levai, director of the Marlborough Gallery, Thierry Malandain met Manolo Valdès in Biarritz. Both deeply steeped in art history, which they were bringing up to date, they decided to collaborate. Manolo Valdès had been struck by a collector who one day recognised himself in a painting that ‘had neither eyes, nor a moustache, nor a face, nor anything’. This ‘widespread interest in assimilation’ made a deep impression on Thierry Malandain, who wanted to use this image from Valdès’s Las Meninas to accompany his ballet.
Three of these six sculptures were featured on stage during the performances. A set of six was required for the tour. All six sculptures are now being offered for auction.
The show’s premiere took place on 18 March 2008 at the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg. It subsequently toured Russia (Yekaterinburg), Spain (San Sebastián, Zaragoza, Gijón, La Coruña), Italy (Bolzano), the USA (New York), Germany (Wiesbaden, Friedrichshafen, Neuss, Marburg), Canada (Quebec) and France (Paris, Biarritz, Vichy, Vélizy-Villacoublay, Angoulême, Reims, Elancourt, Mont-de-Marsan, Périgueux, Blagnac, Bezons and Laval).
Thierry Malandin was the first director of the Centre Chorégraphique National Ballet Biarritz from its foundation in 1998. The CCN Ballet Biarritz became the Malandain Ballet Biarritz in 2009. The choreographer Thierry Malandin was elected to the Académie Française on 6 April 2022. He is stepping down this year, having established Biarritz as a major centre for dance and ballet in France, and is handing over the reins to Martin Harriague.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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