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George Barbier French illustrators of the early 20th century

George Barbier (1882 - 1932)

Born in Nantes, France on October 10, 1882, Barbier was 29 years old when he mounted his first exhibition in 1911 and was subsequently swept to the forefront of his profession with commissions to design theatre and ballet costumes, to illustrate books, and to produce haute couture fashion illustrations.

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Barbier began his career as a costume and set designer for the Ballets Russes, where he became inspired by the poetic movements of the celebrated Russian dancer Vaslav Nijinsky. Designs on the Dances of Vaslav Nijinsky is Barbier's first illustrated book and one of the first lavishly produced editions de luxe that became so popular in France and London during the 1910's and 1920's. 

Appearing in 1913, this was the first book of its kind illustrated by Barbier which is really an album of drawings of the God of Dance Vaslav Nijinsky' principal ballet dancer with the Ballets Russes, pictured in his various roles with Diagileff's ballet in Paris.

For the next 20 years Barbier led a group from the Ecole des Beaux Arts who were nicknamed by Vogue Magazine as "The Knights of the Bracelet" - a tribute to their fashionable and flamboyant mannerisms and style of dress. Included in this elite circle were Bernard Boutet de Monvel, Pierre Brissaud, Paul Iribe, Georges Lepape and Charles Martin.During his career Barbier also turned his hand to jewellery, glass and wallpaper design, wrote essays and many articles for the prestigious Gazette du Bon Ton. In the mid 1920's he worked with Erte to design sets and costumes for the Folies Bergere and in 1929 he wrote the introduction for Erte's acclaimed exhibition and achieved mainstream popularity through his regular appearances in L'Illustation magazine. Sadly Barbier passed away in 1932 at the very pinnacle of his success.

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Arangement: Sanda Foişoreanuwww.slideshare.net/michaelasanda

Sound: Anna Netrebko - Massenet – Manon