Encore! Art of the Historic Asolo Theater
April 22 – Jan.7, 2007
SARASOTA, Fla. – (March 15, 2006) – To celebrate the restoration and installation of the Historic Asolo Theater in its new location inside the Visitors Pavilion, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art will offer Encore! Art of the Historic Asolo Theater, a presentation of historical, artistic, and cultural material associated with production by the Theater. The special exhibition will run April 22 – Jan. 7, 2007.
The late-eighteenth century Italian Asolo Theatercame to The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in 1949 as a result of Director A. Everett “Chick” Austin’s tenacity and dedication to its preservation. It instantly became one of the most significant historic theaters in America, serving as the highlight and inspiration for the Ringling Museum’s collection of art relating to the history of the theater. As such, it played an instrumental role in the development and maturation of Sarasota’s cultural and performing arts presence. This exhibition showcases highlights of the Ringling’s theater collection with artifacts from the beginnings of modern theater in the late Renaissance through the twentieth century.
Three themes from the collection will be presented. The Commedia dell’Artecostume designs and theater interiors are represented through a series of 15 paintings depicting the Disguises of Harlequinby Giovanni Domenico Ferretti (1692-1768). Having once graced the walls of famous German film director Max Reinhardt’s Salzburg castle, they were acquired by the Ringling Museum in 1950 and served as the foyer decoration for the Asolo Theater’s 1952 opening in the Museum’s then-auditorium. One of the most widely used themes in theater art, Commedia dell’Arteis represented in numerous Ringling Museum artifacts. Paintings, rare books and a set of famous engravings depicting Italian comedy characters are all held in the collection.
A second component of the exhibition features thirty-seven costume designs from the 17th and 18th centuries that form the basis of the Ringling’s costume design acquisitions, now considered to be a viable art form in their own right. When the Asolo Theater opened in 1952, two short operas were performed. Eugene Berman, a well-known Russian stage designer for opera and ballet, designed both stage and costumes for La Serva Padronaand “Chick” Austin, first director of the Ringling, designed costumes for Bastien and Bastienne. Berman’s watercolor sketches, reflecting elegant garments and surreal settings, became integral additions to the collection and, due to the fact that many sets and costumes were disposed of following the performance run, the Ringling is fortunate to still own the actual stage set as well as the design and costume for Zerbina, one of the main operatic characters.
Paintings, watercolors and engravings of theater interiors and designs for early 18th and 19th century theater sets comprise the exhibition’s third component.
Included in this area are two unusual miniature theater scenes created circa 1730 by Martin Englebrecht of Augsburg, Germany. Consisting of several hand-colored engravings consecutively inserted in a box, the resulting stage-like scene provided a perspective view. Dubbed a “peep show”, these works often contained sets as well as scenes from famous plays. An even earlier depiction is the Interior of the AmsterdamTheatre, c .1653, by Hans Juriaensz. van Baden, presents one of the earliest forms of this Dutch Theater that opened in 1638.
Over time, the Ringling’s theater collection expanded significantly with acquisition of more Berman costume designs in addition to white porcelain figures of the Commedia dell’Arte. Encore! The Art of the Historic Asolo Theateris the first exhibition to formally display the collection in the context of its creation.
As the Historic Asolo Theater continues its rejuvenation in its new, specifically designed and dedicated space that is scheduled to open later this year, Encore!provides an in-depth, multi-faceted look into this iconic Theater’s storied evolution.
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