Small 4to. 196 pp. Unnumbered example from the edition of 1000 copies, illustrated with 64 heliogravure plates together with a separate suite of 14 hors-texte plates with pochoir colour by Beaufume from watercolours by various artists. Folded cover designed by Fernand Léger and a publisher's slipcase, first edition of this reference work on Swedish ballets, including texts by Fokine, Haquinius, de Maré, Rémon, Tansman, Tugal and contributions by Claudel, Casella, Cendrars, Cocteau, Inghelbrecht, Milhaud, Pirandello, Picabia, and Roland-Manuel. It is illustrated with 64 heliogravures and a series of 14 color stenciled plates in a separate folder featuring sets and costumes by Bonnard, Chirico, Colin, Dardel, Foujita, Gladky, Hellé, Hugo, Lagut, Laprade, Léger, Murphy, Nerman, Parr, Perdriat, and Steinlen. Uncut copy enriched with a magnificent autograph text signed by Fernand Léger in homage to the Swedish Ballets, written in ink on one and a half leaves:

"The Swedish Ballets have come of age. Rolf de Maré understood that his era made it possible to create a modern performance by bringing together the artists of the time. He created a work of impressive quality and diversity. The ballets toured the world, establishing (?) an entirely new art. With the Ballets Russes, the Swedish Ballets demonstrated that a daring performance outside of clannish conventions is possible and is accepted by the public. It was necessary to "take a risk." Rolf de Maré understood this and went the furthest in the adventure, always accepting the most novel projects without ever trying to restrict them. It is regrettable that such an effort stopped just as it was about to establish itself on the world stage. Carina Ari and Jean Börlin were the driving forces behind this courageous troupe. Their talent has always been able to take advantage of the sometimes arduous stage demands imposed by the novelty of the show. The Swedish Ballets will remain intimately linked to the History of Modern Art. May these few lines be a tribute to Rolf de Maré, the creator and organizer of this magnificent propaganda of French Art. "FLéger"

TOGETHER WITH a second autograph text by Léger in ink on a leaflet evoking the Ballets he created, notably Skating-Rink with Canudo and Honegger and The Creation of the World with Cendrars and Darius Milhaud; TOGETHER WITH a typewritten letter on the letterhead of the International Dance Archives with Rolf De Maré's autograph signature; TOGETHER WITH a typewritten letter with Pierre Tugal's autograph signature; TOGETHER WITH an autograph dedication signed by Paul Colin at the bottom of his plate.

Some wear to the slipcase; some erasures, crossed-out passages, and blue and red pencil lines, else fine. Provenance: Anne Marie Berger Collection

Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes arrived in Paris in 1909 and immediately turned ballet into a high fashion in the Western hemisphere. But in 1920 a rival introduced itself to Paris: the Ballets Suédois. This company dared to perform in the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, home ground of the Russians before the First World War. The newcomers quickly established themselves in the French capital and challenged Diaghilev's concept of avant-garde ballet. They took modernism to a new level and defined avant-garde not through the brilliance of ballet stars or spectacular extravaganza but through a concept that extended beyond all known theatrical conventions. Throughout its brief and hectic existence from 1920 to 1925, the Ballets Suédois were constantly criticised for being not Swedish enough as well as too Swedish, and above all for not presenting real ballet. In many ways the critics were right. The company was more international than Swedish in its character and instead of reinforcing the balletic tradition it searched for new paths in dance. The company's name pointed to its Swedish founders and its most prominent dancers. Its existence had come out of the art collection of the Swedish aristocrat Rolf de Maré, who had assembled significant modernist works by European, and particularly French, artists during the 1910s. In 1933 de Maré founded the world's first museum for dance in Paris.