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Baryshnikov, Mikhail (Subject); Acocella, Joan (Author); Other Contributors & Photographers.
BARYSHNIKOV IN BLACK AND WHITE.
London, England:
Bloomsbury Publishing,
2002.
Hardcover.
First Edition/First Printing.
320 pages.
As New/As New.
Signed. Collection of photographs with accompanying text on subject. The finest book-length photographic portrait on Mikhail Baryshnikov, the title is now considered a contemporary classic. The First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. A stunningly beautiful production by Bloomsbury: Oversize-volume format. Pristine-white cloth boards with black titles on spine, as issued. Photographs by various contributors. Essay by The New Yorker Magazine dance critic Joan Acocella, Baryshnikov's official biographer. Complete Chronology and Annotated Captions appended at the beginning. Printed on thick coated stock paper in the United Kingdom to the very highest standards. In pictorial DJ with very large flaps and white titles on the spine, as issued. Presents the definitive collection of photographs, all of them dramatically reproduced in black-and-white, documenting the last three decades of Mikhail Baryshnikov's stupendous career. Universally acknowledged as the greatest male dance artist of the 20th century, Baryshnikov's defection from the Soviet Union in 1974 breathed new artistic freedom into an already legendary career. Working with the American Ballet Theatre (where he was Artistic Director for ten years), the New York City Ballet (where George Balanchine created ballets for him), and finally forming his own company in 1990, The White Oak Dance Project, Baryshnikov changed the face of dance not only for the better but forever. The photographs show Baryshnikov in both rehearsal and actual performance. One has him in mid-air while Martha Graham is seated, earthbound, awestruck by his high leap. It captures his legend in one stunning image: Baryshnikov soared like a bird, lingered in the air for many seconds, and leapt so high that landing firmly on his feet was the real challenge instead. Baryshnikov's vitality, sensuality, and genius are evident on every page. One comes away feeling that he is indeed the greatest male dancer ever, greater than his predecessor, Nijinsky, greater than Rudolf Nureyev, Erik Bruhn, Edward Villella or any other name one can summon from memory. He may also be the last great Russian dancer of our lifetime. The collapse of the Soviet Union meant the end of lavish state support for the arts. Ballet suffered the most and may never recover. All of the star-dancers at the American Ballet Theater today are of Spanish/Hispanic descent, handpicked from Cuba, Argentina, Chile, and Spain. They are all Baryshnikov's heirs. None of them would be the great dancers they have become without his exemplary precedent and inspiration. When one watches Angel Corella, the finest male dancer of his generation, one cannot help feeling a sense of "deja vu", that one is watching Mikhail Baryshnikov in another human being's body. His influence has been that visible and pervasive. A gem of a book, this is a "must-have" title for Mikhail Baryshnikov admirers. This copy is very boldly and beautifully signed in black marker on the title page by Mikhail Baryshnikov. Baryshnikov signed in Roman/"English" (instead of Cyrillic/"Russian") alphabet, the first time we have seen him sign this title as such. He made a rare appearance in New York City to launch his first children's book, "Because", and generously signed copies of his other books. This title has been out-of-print as a hardcover for some time. This is one of very few signed copies of the First Hardcover Edition still available online and has no flaws, a pristine beauty. A rare signed copy thus. 175 plates. Recipient of innumerable honors, including the Medal of Freedom in 2001, the highest honor bestowed by the United States Government on individual achievers. One of the greatest living cultural treasures. A flawless collectible copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER MIKHAIL BARYSHNIKOV TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 1582341869. $400.00 |
