Costume design

Aleksandra Ekster worked as a costume designer for the Kamerny Theatre of Alexander Tairov in Moscow. In 1921, she created a series of sketches for the production of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. We see a stylized full-length image of a young man in a black-and-green drapery and green hat on a light background. Ekster’s costume sketches are purely theatrical, rather than literary or historical interpretations of Shakespeare's history. Rhythm, movement and overall consistency with the scenery are important for the costumes. A design is not a standalone image, but part of a theatrical production. The fascination of Aleksandra Ekster with abstract art was manifested in her costume sketches for the theatre. She creates expressive silhouettes that are subordinated both to the rhythms of colour and to the dynamics of the theatrical performance.

Ihor Kibka, Lead Researcher at the Art Museum of Dnipropetrovsk