Diary, Volume 5

The Dance Division of the Performing Arts Library is named for choreographer Jerome Robbins, and his collection is one of the most complete archival examples of an artist at work in the world. Robbins’ genius expanded beyond dance to painting, writing, and photography—outlets that helped him to process the world around him. Periods of intense creativity often overlapped with personal turmoil; in the 1970s, Robbins entered a time of great introspection and began an unparalleled, 13-year art project he referred to as “the diaries.” From 1971 to 1984, Robbins produced 24 inimitable volumes, many of them double-sided, on Japanese accordion foldout notebooks. Housing collages, travelogues, sketches, poems, dreams, pressed flowers, and more, they offer a glimpse into Robbins’ visual style, sense of humor, preoccupations, and activities at the time of their creation.