Visit to V&A East: Picasso backcloths and related materials
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Monday 19 January 2026
(11.20am for 11:30am - Meet inside the main entrance) - V&A East Storehouse, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, East Storehouse, V&A, Parkes St, London E20 3AX
- Guide: Jane Pritchard
The visit is to view the powerful front cloth created in 1924 for the ballet Le Train bleu which reproduces Pablo Picasso’s The Two Women Runningalong the Beach (The Race) which he had painted in Dinard, Brittany, in 1922. Serge Diaghilev had seen Picasso’s tiny work and gained permission to have his scenic artist, Prince Alexander Schervashidze, enlarge it to set the mood for his new sporting ballet scheduled to be premiered at the time of the Parisian Olympic Games. Picasso was so pleased with the result that he signed it dedicating it to Diaghilev.
Viewing the front cloth provides the opportunity to learn more about Picasso’s contribution to the stage and to discover more about the purpose of front cloths in the theatre. The visit will provide an opportunity to see the V&A’s new storage facility and gain an insight into the V&A’s collection of designs for the stage.
Please note that there is a café on site in case those arriving early want to get a coffee or tea. Free lockers are provided and no bags or drinks (even water) are allowed in the stores. Phones may be taken in – photos allowed for personal use. Flat shoes (no stiletto heels) are advisable.
The Here East bus shuttle (free) runs from Stratford Station Monday to Friday every 10 minutes.
Guide
Jane Pritchard MBE was curator of dance for the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (V&A) until July 2026. She has curated many exhibitions at the V&A including co-curating Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballets Russes 1909–1929, for which she gave this Society a study day. She has made radio programmes for the BBC, curated seasons of dance films and contributed to numerous publications including the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and The Annual Register. She was the author of Anna Pavlova Twentieth Century Ballerina. She has been a recipient of a Churchill Travel Fellowship and the Anthony Denning Research Award. She was awarded an MBE for services to the arts in the 2014 New Year Honours.
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