Rare Fonteyn headdress to be exhibited in London's West End

A headdress worn by Margot Fonteyn in the 1956 production of Frederick Ashton’s La Péri is to be exhibited at Sprueth Magers London, as part of a major exhibition featuring the work of American artists Joseph Cornell (1903-1972) and Karen Kilimnik, both of whom were influenced by the Romantic ballet era. The exhibition, which opens on 9 June 2010, will be the first time that the works of these two artists have been displayed together and it will explore the affinities between them.

Created especially for Margot Fonteyn and Michael Somes to a score by Paul Dukas, Ashton’s La Péri was first performed at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden on 15 Feb 1956. The headdress, designed by André Levasseur, is part of a selection of photographs, artefacts and lithographs on loan from the White Lodge Museum and Ballet Resource Centre and will enhance visitors’ experience of the exhibition, providing a historical dimension.

Joseph Cornell Karen Kilimnik, Sprueth Magers London, 7A Grafton Street, London W1S 4EJ until 27 August.

Entry is free and the gallery is open to the public between 10am-6pm Tuesday-Saturday.

Nearest Tube: Green Park. Tel: 020 7408 1613.

www.spruethmagers.com

The restoration and cataloguing of The Royal Ballet School Collections is generously supported by The Foyle Foundation.