Lincoln Kirstein's gifts to the world were not only the New York City Ballet and the School of American Ballet, which he created with George Balanchine, but also a deeply influential body of writing about dance. Kirstein was a great collector and, early in the history of the Dance Collection of The New York Public Library, he gave a wealth of rare dance materials to the Library. Before his death in 1996, he donated his remaining manuscripts and other materials related to the history of dance and his life in the arts. 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, from June 27 to September 13, 1997.
Admission is free.
In the exhibition, dance is portrayed in virtually every form, medium, and mood, from whimsical engravings to harrowing silhouettes of the Dance of Death . Scenes of social dance and ethnic dance, Shaker rituals, and commedia dell'arte are also on view. Lincoln Kirstein Kirstein was a widely published writer in all fields of the arts, and he built a library of thousands of rare books, prints, and manuscripts. The range of his collection is monumental, encompassing dance notation, children's games, folk and ethnic dance, ballroom dance, dance schools and exercise, and, of course, ballet. Many groups of books were amassed by Kirstein to be given to George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and others in connection with their works in progress.