Pavel TCHELITCHEW (Dubrowka, 1898 - Grottaferrata, 1957) - Lot 86

Pavel TCHELITCHEW (Dubrowka, 1898 - Grottaferrata, 1957) Portrait of actress and ballerina Tamara Toumanova. Ink and ink wash on paper. Studio stamp "P. Tchelitchew" on back and n'°1312 H. 50 x L. 32.5 cm. Provenance Artist's studio. History Tamara Toumanova (1919-1996) was a famous Russian-Georgian dancer and actress. Noticed by George Balanchine in 1933, she enjoyed a brilliant career as principal dancer with the Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo troupe, from which she earned the mythical nickname of "the black pearl of Russian ballet". Pursuing her career in the United States, she became a naturalized American and played the role of the ballerina in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Torn Curtain" in 1966.