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RENÉ CLAIR

ENTR’ACTE

Entr’acte (intermission) by French filmmaker and writer René Clair, was screened on stage in Paris during the astonishing dance production Relâche by Ballets suédois - a legendary dance company sponsored and managed by the Swedish avant-garde entrepreneur and patron Rolf de Maré, son of the famous sculptor composer and painter, Ellen Roosval von Hallwyl. Not unlike today’s creative
brand-managers in luxury or fashion, Rolf de Mare invited young, radical and creative artists to co-produce his multi-media productions. The film Entr´acte was projected at the beginning of the performance on the stage curtain of Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, which was then drawn aside to reveal the Dada artist Francis Picabia’s radical stage design, who was also involved in making the film.

The original musical score was composed by Erik Satie and is an integral part of
this playful piece. The bowler hatted composer features jumping in slow motion
with the chubby painter Francis Picabia whilst Dadaist Marcel Duchamp plays
dead-serious chess with another avant-garde hero Man Ray; the star photographer of surrealism. Rolf de Mare knew how to set young talent free in joyful creations and experiments. This made his art firm, the Swedish Ballet, into a trendsetting cultural brand with Entr’acte as one of its most timeless art pieces. Almost a century later we are very grateful that Moderna Museet graciously has granted permission to SSE Art Initiative to show classics from its art film collection and for letting this masterpiece animate SSE students´ intermissions between their serious lectures and seminars.