Madame Butterfly
S.l.n.d. [circa 2019].
16 original sketches (210 x 280 mm), in ink, felt pen, graphite or watercolour. In sheets, in a box with flaps signed by Julie Nadot.
A magnificent collection of Kenzo’s original sketches and drawings for the opera Madame Butterfly.
Kenzo’s latest artistic creation, performed in Tokyo in 2019.
We apologize for the imperfect translation generated by Deepl for the purposes of the show.
Throughout his life, Takada referenced Japanese culture to varying degrees. From 2010 onwards, Kenzo organized his art exhibitions all over the world, presenting his series of kimonos printed with flowers reminiscent of the motifs for which his brand is known.
Thus, in 2019, he designed costumes for a production of Madame Butterfly for the Nikikai Opera Foundation in Tokyo, once again reconsidering traditional Japanese dress style.” It’s a difficult project,” said Takada Kenzo in an interview with the Japan Times in September 2019: ”The costumes had to be coordinated with the director’s guidelines and the vast amount of components that go into a musical production.”
The costumes created for Madama Butterfly feature floral designs, while the secondary and surrounding characters will wear simple pastel-colored costumes to complement the lead actress’s outfits. “I wanted to respect tradition as much as possible,” he explains of these creations. “I have always thought that the kimono has a very modern aspect and perhaps this could be an opportunity for some to testify to this modernity, whether in Tokyo or Dresden (…) As a costume designer, I have tried to capture Puccini’s stories while depicting Japanese spirituality as faithfully as possible. It should make the audience dream and take them on a journey into ecstasy.”
While there are many preparatory sketches and drawings by the great couturier (Kenzo had stated, when his book was published, in which 350 of them had been reproduced, that he had created nearly 5,000*), the finished watercolor drawings are extremely rare, and even more so for this final creation.
Provenance: Kenzo Takada Collection (Sale, Artcurial Paris, May 2021).
