Pop-up Opera

Nobody would accuse Bartok of being "pop," and his Bluebeard's Castle is a notoriously difficult opera.  Filled with abstract language and minimal movement, the one-act opera challenged performers and their audiences. But, in 1972, book artist Ronald King produced a dark pop-up version that takes Bartok's work to a new level of abstraction.

Through a series of silk-screened pop-up openings, the book presents seven rooms that Bluebeard unlocks for his new wife.  Each room is progressively more surreal and sinister, exposing the inter-workings of Bluebeard's mind.

Come in and take the tour by requesting Presses C495kibl.