Tacita Dean | DANTE

Tacita Dean’s photogravure DANTE accompanies the release of the music score DANTE by Thomas Adès.

Tacita Dean was commissioned by The Royal Opera House in London to create the designs and costumes for a new ballet called The Dante Project. Co-produced with Paris Opéra, it premiered in London in October 2021 and was shown in the Palais Garnier in Paris until May 2023. The ballet is inspired by Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy (1307–1321) with new music by Thomas Adès and choreography by Wayne McGregor, and marks the 700th anniversary of the poet’s death.

The new limited edition DANTE includes the first recording of Thomas Adès’ score for the ballet and a photogravure by Dean, presented in a custom-made box and published in an edition of 45. The double LP vinyl record set, released by Nonesuch Records and designed by Martyn Ridgewell, features artwork by Tacita Dean. The original musical score was recorded by the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel. Dean’s photogravure is made in the form of a 12-inch vinyl. It shows a mountainous spiral drawn in negative, echoing the cold, upside-down, monumental mountains created for the backdrop of the first act of the ballet, as well as the 2021 large-scale print Inferno.