Anthony Nellé: Art Deco Stage Designs to Anti-Nazi Posters

Anthony Nellé (1894-1977) was a ballet dancer trained at the Russian Imperial School of the Grand Opera. He danced in Poland, Russia and England, and joined ballerina Anna Pavlova's company, which brought him to the United States. By 1926, Nellé began work as a choreographer and he later became a production designer for theaters in Detroit, St. Louis, San Francisco, Hollywood, and Europe. His extraordinary stage designs of the 1920s and 1930s were often compared to the costume designs of Erté.

This exhibition featured Nellé's original stage designs and World War II poster designs as well as costumes, furniture, and other objects from Western New York collections that represent the sleek, sophisticated style known as Art Deco. In addition to the exhibition, the Burchfield Penney presented a series of special events including a cabaret, Art Deco architecture tours, a concert of "Jack Yellen and the World of Tin Pan Alley" by Ian Whitcomb, and other entertainment.