Court to Kitsch – a real original!

18 March 2017

It’s elegant, informative and full of little surprises – From Court to Kitsch opened yesterday, on a perfect Autumn day that saw our bright magenta flags out front fluttering merrily in the breeze. A big thank you to my mum and a friend of ours who got the front garden looking most inviting too.

So it’s time to roll up, roll up – whether you’re a general history lover or a fan of ballet. There’s much to be enjoyed, and on many different levels here.

Yesterday also yielded a moment of surprise. It’s funny the assumptions you can make about the assumptions other people will make. One visitor was halfway round the living room, and had just reached an illustrated music cover from the 1840s (of Jules Perrot and Carlotta Grisi no less) when she suddenly exclaimed, “Oh, it’s the original!”

Perhaps it’s a reflection of how little chance we have to see early dance objects here in Australia. It owes something to the multiple ways we use the word “print” too. But indeed, there are no reproductions on show. The term is used through the exhibition to refer to the nature of an image’s creation (i.e. made using printing processes rather painted or sketched). If the label says “1781” then you are indeed looking at an object that is over 300 years old!

Look forward to seeing you here . . .

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