Léon Bakst’s Exotic Costume Designs For ‘The Sleeping Princess’ (1921)

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Born 1866 as Leyb-Khaim Izrailevich Rosenberg, Russian painter and stage and costume designer of Jewish origin Léon Bakst was best known for his groundbreaking work with Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. His vivid, imaginative designs for productions such as Cleopatra (1909), Scheherazade (1910), The Firebird (1910), Daphnis and Chloe (1912), The Sleeping Princess (1921) and others revolutionized theatrical aesthetics in the early 20th century.

Bakst’s use of bold colors, exotic motifs, and innovative costumes not only transformed stage design but also influenced fashion and interior decoration of the era. Beyond the theater, he created portraits and decorative works that reflected his flair for drama and ornamentation.

Bakst’s legacy endures as one of the most influential figures in modern stage and costume design. He died in 1924 in a clinic in Rueil Malmaison, near Paris, from lung problems. In late 2010, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London presented an exhibit of Bakst’s costumes and prints. Take a look at these exotic and imaginative costume designs by Léon Bakst for The Sleeping Princess.