L’Aprés-Midi d’une Faune/Reclining Male Nude 1955-56
The model for this sculpture was George Plumb, a British swimming champion. Inspired by Debussy’s Prélude, the ballet L’Après-Midi d’un Faune, from which Gordine’s sculpture takes its name, was choreographed by the young dancer Vaslav Nijinsky for the Ballets Russes. The company, which revolutionised ballet, was founded by Serge Diaghilev in Paris in 1909 and counted Anna Pavlova among the original members of the company. Nijinsky took the title role and his costume and sexually suggestive movements caused a sensation when the ballet premiered in Paris in 1912.