Antoni Clavé (1913-2005)

Ballet costume designs for
Renée [Zizi] Jeanmaire as Carmen, Roland Petit as Don Jose

India ink, pen and brush, whitened with white tempera or gouache – on paper
27 x 29 cm; 10.6 x 11.4 in – signed: Clavé

Verso of drawing: Schiphol (NL) douane import stamp

One-act ballet in five scenes
Choreography: Roland Petit – director of Les Ballet de Paris
World Première – Les Ballet de Paris de Roland Petit
Prince’s Theatre London – 21st February 1949

Clavé designed both the sets and costumes; apparently Carmen is the only ballet he designed for Roland Petit

Clavé used whitening as a means of correcting small areas of his drawing. While the paper yellowed over time, most likely due to not being acid-free, the whitening retained its brightness standing in slight contrast to the paper.

Provenance
1984: Sotheby’s New York
1984-1985: Barry Kay
since 1985: Michael Werner c/o Barry Kay Archive

Price on application