The Nureyev’s Collection at the CNCS

cncs centre national costume de scène Noureev

An insatiable collector with a pronounced taste for sumptuous décor, Rudolf Nureyev accumulated a great number of paintings, etchings, costumes, fabrics, furniture and objects. After his death, the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation had the task of selling the majority of this patrimony, with the exception of a few hundred pieces, which were kept to constitute a collection in honor of this great dancer.

In 2008 the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation made a gift of this collection to the CNCS, thus following the wishes of the choreographer to keep the collection intact in one place. The project, which allows the public to discover the career of the dancer and the life of the man, was selected as part of the Regional Museum Plan by the Minister of Culture and Communication.

In order to celebrate the spirit of Rudolf Nureyev, the CNCS asked the scenographer and designer Ezio Frigerio, assisted by Guiliano Spinelli, to create the scenography for this collection space. Ezio Frigerio, a dear friend of the choreographer, worked with Nureyev on some of his legendary ballets: Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliette, La Bayadère and Sleeping Beauty. The collection will put approximately one hundred items which belonged to the dancer into perspective, evoking his artistic life and his personal esthetics.

Photos, street clothes and costumes will reveal the public life, childhood and career of the dancer. Paintings, etchings and sculptures as well as furniture, fabrics and musical instruments will be witness to his taste for opulent décor, luxurious interiors and his passion for music.

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The Centre national du costume de scène (national centre for stage costumes), first worldwide institution to be entirely dedicated to theatre’s material patrimonial heritage, was founded by the state (Ministry of the Arts and of Communication), in partnership with Moulins’ town council (Ville de Moulins), the Allier Department council (Conseil Général de l’Allier) and the Auvergne region council (Conseil régional d’Auvergne).

The CNCS gathers a prestigious collection of 8 500 stage costumes, issued from the three partnering component institutions, the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, the Opéra National de Paris and the Comédie-Française, as well as from private theatrical companies. The Cncs has opened on 1st July 2006 under the chairmanship of Christian Lacroix.

The Rudolf Nureyev ® Foundation has largely contributed to the creation of the memorial space which opened on October, 19th 2013.

Preparing your visit to the museum :

www.cncs.fr

Quartier Villars, Route de Montilly 03000 MOULINS
Tel: 04 70 20 76 20
Fax: 04 70 34 23 04

The CNCS is open 7 days a week
September to June: from 10 am to 6 pm (rooms close 30′ before)
July and August: from 10 am to 6.30 pm (rooms close 30′ before)