World Cultures, World Arts Series: Performing Empire: Costume and Colonial Fantasy on the Early Modern French Stage
Thu Apr 23 2026 1:00PM – 2:00PM
Event Description:
In early modern France, encounters with the peoples and cultures of the Americas were mediated less through direct contact than through images, costumes, and theatrical display that often blended observation, fantasy, and political ambition. For instance, portrait prints of the six Tupí men brought to Paris in 1613 cast Indigenous visitors within a hybrid visual language—part classical ideal, part exotic curiosity, part Christian convert—transforming individuals into allegories of France’s global aspirations. These visual strategies quickly migrated to the stage, where designers such as Daniel Rabel created ballets and operas populated by Inca kings, feathered warriors, and allegorical sauvages. Their costumes combined Indigenous motifs, European silhouettes, and imagined details to produce a composite Amerindian figure that circulated widely in print, performance, and public festivals. This lecture examines the power of visual culture through such transcultural exchanges to reveal how artistic production not only reflected but actively shaped France’s colonial desires and its evolving understanding of global difference. The World Cultures, World Arts Series bridges the gap between the business education of a Baruch student and the cultural and artistic world. In each session, an artist or art historian presents a detailed look at a piece of artwork, its context and its relevance for today. We will connect world cultures with the fine arts, to see if we can find an alternate way to become globally-accomplished students. The Baruch community is invited to attend this free online lecture. Learn more about the series at https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/globalstudentcertificate/world-cultures-world-arts-series/.
Online link for More Event Information:
https://baruch.zoom.us/meeting/register/IR5v0WkySxqe7aWKEeleJw#/registration