Claire Tole-Moir
Head of Department
Lot 32AR
Michael Bronze (British, 1916-1979): Group of five costume designs for Murray's Cabaret Club showgirls,
1955, 5
11 – 25 June 2020, 12:00 BST
London, KnightsbridgeSold for £765 inc. premium
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Michael Bronze (British, 1916-1979): Group of five costume designs for Murray's Cabaret Club showgirls,
1955,
the hand-painted pencil, watercolour and gouache costume designs featuring showgirls in very imaginative and revealing costumes, comprising; 2 Perfume girls in short perfume inspired playsuits, with pencil annotations, signed and dated by the artist; another model shown topless, with a mermaid skirt, accessories on her wrists and matching headpiece for her role as Neptune, Goddess of the Seas signed by the artist; another model in a minimalistic costume composed of lip motifs, a pink cape and heart shaped hat, annotated in pencil Pandora's Box, Passion by the artist, unsigned; another model shown in a lion costume, with long sleeves, lion headpiece and pound sterling motifs, entitled Pandora's box, Greed in pencil, signed by the artist, together with another design attached to verso of this page depicting a model in a long blue gown with ribbons and hearts, matching mask, gloves and headpiece, also entitled Pandora's box, Romance in pencil, unsigned; all unframed, smallest; 7 1/4in x 12 1/2in (18.5cm x 32cm), largest; 11in x 15in (28cm x 38cm) (5)
the hand-painted pencil, watercolour and gouache costume designs featuring showgirls in very imaginative and revealing costumes, comprising; 2 Perfume girls in short perfume inspired playsuits, with pencil annotations, signed and dated by the artist; another model shown topless, with a mermaid skirt, accessories on her wrists and matching headpiece for her role as Neptune, Goddess of the Seas signed by the artist; another model in a minimalistic costume composed of lip motifs, a pink cape and heart shaped hat, annotated in pencil Pandora's Box, Passion by the artist, unsigned; another model shown in a lion costume, with long sleeves, lion headpiece and pound sterling motifs, entitled Pandora's box, Greed in pencil, signed by the artist, together with another design attached to verso of this page depicting a model in a long blue gown with ribbons and hearts, matching mask, gloves and headpiece, also entitled Pandora's box, Romance in pencil, unsigned; all unframed, smallest; 7 1/4in x 12 1/2in (18.5cm x 32cm), largest; 11in x 15in (28cm x 38cm) (5)
Footnotes
'No topic was off limits, from Medieval history to surrealist art, perfume counter girls to police officers.' - Dita Von Teese
Michael Bronze (British, 1916-1979) was a theatre costume designer who worked for Murray's Cabaret Club from 1939 until the mid-1960's. During this time Bronze created some extremely sensual and imaginative designs, some more playful than practical.
Literature:
Levy, Benjamin, 'Murray's Cabaret Club: Discovering Soho's Secret', (The History Press), 2019. Foreward by Dita Von Teese.
See documentary on Murray's Cabaret Club featuring Michael Bronze here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpfjpdqSG4I
For more information: www.murraysclubarchive.com