Saved: portrait of the queen of dance who changed the course of ballet

Donors contribute to buy painting of Tamara Karsavina, co-founder of the London ballet school

A rare and valuable portrait of the Russian ballerina Tamara Karsavina, Anna Pavlova’s great rival and one of the key dancers behind a revolution in ballet, has been bought for the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD). Karsavina presided over the London teaching school, which she co-founded, for many years, instilling a modern emphasis on expressive movement over stiff tradition.

“This is such a ravishing and iconic picture, I thought the RAD should have it when I heard it was up for auction at Christie’s at the end of last year,” said Lady Sainsbury of Preston Candover, the former dancer Anya Linden. “The great English choreographer Frederick Ashton once wrote that working with Karsavina was like being visited by ‘a queen from a bigger and more glamorous world’, and he said that her generosity, humanity and discipline had inspired the whole company of Royal Ballet dancers.”

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from Culture | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3tXmlAL