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Finely drawn sketches, portraits and fantasies by one of the major theatre and opera, stage and costume designers of the 20th century, many of Lila De Nobili's colour artworks have never been previously published before this publication. Parisian cats have been celebrated by painters, writers and chansonniers since the 19th century when Steinlein created the poster for the cabaret Le Chat Noir. An important place among these artists is occupied by Lila De Nobili who moved to the French capital in 1945 and never left the 7th Arrondissement, its quintessential neighbourhood. She painted and designed stage sets for the Scala in Milan, the Opéra in Paris, Covent Garden in London and was sought by the most famous directors. She designed costumes for Maria Callas, Edith Piaf, Audrey Hepburn and Ingrid Bergman. Just after the events of May 1968, she devoted herself exclusively to painting and adopted her first cat Ulysse and the feline family soon grew. She never tired of sketching and drawing them, and painting them in watercolour and most of these intimate works full of insight and subtlety were gifted to a friend, herself a cat lover and thanks to this collection, now published in book form. Also included are fantasies and stories including Dominique, affectionate cards featuring her cats Mitzi and Rouki, a tabby and a pale ginger. Some of the cats are dressed as can-can dancers or Siamese cats as Pierrot, costume sketches for Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty at Covent Garden, but best of all are the beautifully observed small cats looking curiously or snuggled under the covers inside a cardboard box and kittens looking for a home. Exquisitely coloured renderings, 144 landscape pages measuring 21.6 x 16.5cm.
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