The Turbulent Love Between Ida Rubinstein and Romaine Brooks

A new article explores the complex relationship between American painter Romaine Brooks and Russian dancer Ida Rubinstein in early 20th-century Paris. Rubinstein, born into a wealthy Jewish family in the Russian Empire, was orphaned young and raised in St. Petersburg. She adopted the name Ida and pursued a scandalous dance career, including a nude performance in Oscar Wilde's Salomé in 1908, which led to her institutionalization. She escaped to Paris, joined the Ballets Russes in 1909, and later founded her own company in 1928, financed by inheritance. The company featured choreographers like Nijinska and Massine and composers such as Ravel and Stravinsky, disbanding in 1935. Brooks met Rubinstein in 1911 after her performance in D'Annunzio's The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian, for which Rubinstein was excommunicated. A romantic triangle formed with D'Annunzio, but Rubinstein fell for Brooks. Brooks painted Rubinstein multiple times, including the controversial allegorical nudes like The Crossing. The couple split around 1914, partly due to Brooks' involvement with Natalie Clifford Barney. Brooks later painted The Weeping Venus (1916-1917), haunted by Rubinstein's face.