Scarce original English-language edition printed in Austria & published in Russia/USSR (commissioned by the renowned Aurora Art based in St. Petersburg), beautifully illustrated throughout on glossy paper. Many subsequent publications on Bakst issued by various American/Western European publishers are based on this very edition.

Traces the career of costume designer Leon Baskst from his early years in St Petersburg through to his premature death in 1924.

Léon Bakst (1866-1924) was a painter, illustrator, stage and costume designer. He is universally acknowledged for representing a synthesis of creative energy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Bakst travelled widely throughout Europe and in 1890 joined the World of Art journal circle which numbered many artists among its members, the most famous being Benois and Diaghilev. This book illustrates the wealth of Bakst's contribution to the world of theatre and dance. His best known work includes sets for Stravinsky's Firebird, and Weber's Spectre de la Rose.

"Marking the 150th anniversary of the artist's birth, Designing dreams, a celebration of Léon Bakst, highlights Bakst's contribution not only to the theater, but also to textile design and fashion, and to the tastes of his time. It is fitting that the exhibition takes place at the Nouveau Museé National de Monaco" -- p. 11.