Showstoppers: The Art of Stage and Screen

March 6 – May 10, 2026

Helicline Fine Art presents Showstoppers: The Art of Stage and Screen, a dynamic new exhibition celebrating nearly a century of performance as seen through the eyes of some of the most influential artists and designers of the 20th century.

Edith Head (1897-1981) – Elizabeth Taylor in “Elephant Walk”
Sight: 24 x 18 inches, watercolor and pencil on paper
Inscribed in pencil: Elizabeth Taylor in “Elephant Walk” and signed lower right

On view from March 6 through May 10, 2026, the exhibition brings together more than three dozen works that capture the spectacle, emotion, and cultural impact of live theatre, film, dance, opera, and popular entertainment.

Spanning the 1920s through the 1990s, Showstoppers features paintings, costume and set design drawings, illustrations, sculpture, modernist compositions inspired by performance, that illuminate how visual artists helped shape iconic moments on Broadway, in Hollywood, and beyond. Works will be available online via HeliclineFineArt.com, Artsy.net and 1stDibs.com, with in-person viewings at the gallery’s Midtown Manhattan location and Zoom presentations available by appointment.

Bob Mackie (1939 – ) – Diana Ross
16 1/2 x 11 inches, mixed media on paper, signed lower left, titled upper right

The exhibition draws from a wide range of performance traditions – Broadway and musical theatre, classic cinema, opera, ballet and modern dance, nightclub culture, and circus – underscoring the enduring dialogue between fine art and entertainment.

Among the celebrated productions represented are Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, My Fair Lady, Funny Girl, Sweet Charity, West Side Story, The King and I, Bye Bye Birdie, The Wiz, Anything Goes, Opèra De Paris, South Pacific, The Pajama Game, Follies, and the legendary nightlife of Studio 54, among others.

YVES SAINT-LAURENT (French, 1936-2008) – Costume design Project Pour TURANGALILA
Sight: 18 1/2 x 24 1/2 inches, ink, pastel, and watercolor on paper
Signed “YSL” and titled “Opera De Paris lower center, also titled “Project pour Turangalila” top center

Artists featured in Showstoppers include beloved American and European modernists alongside some of the most influential designers ever to work on stage and screen. Highlights include works by Boris Aronson, Cecil Beaton, Leon Bibel, William Gropper, Edith Head, Al Hirschfeld, Mervyn Jules, Hilary Knight, Gaston Lachaise, Bob Mackie, Jo Mielziner, Anton Refregier, Irene Sharaff, Yves Saint Laurent, Tony Walton, Miles White, Richard Whorf, and others-many of them Tony® and Oscar® Award-winning visionaries whose designs helped define entire eras of performance.

Cecil Beaton (1904 – 1980) – My Fair Lady
Sight: 12 1/2 x 11 1/2 inches, pen and ink on paper
Signed lower right, inscribed My Fair Lady coster costumes, lower left

The full list of artworks will be announced just prior to the start of the exhibition.

“While I have operated Helicline Fine Art since 2008, my lifelong professional passion has been running a Times Square-based communications firm,” said Keith Sherman, co-founder and proprietor of Helicline Fine Art. “From the first day of my career, I’ve worked in theatre, film, music, dance, books, and major cultural events. Some of the artists in this exhibition were friends-and even clients. These works are deeply meaningful to me, and I believe they will resonate powerfully with anyone who loves entertainment and the arts.”

Irene Sharaff (1910-1993) – Funny Girl Costume Design, 1968 Film
Sight: 15 3/4 x 12 1/2 inches, gouache, watercolor on heavy paper
Signed and inscribed: Barbra Streisand, Funny Girl, Sharaff (lower right)

Many works in the exhibition come from private collections and are rarely seen publicly. Opportunities to acquire authentic, historically grounded material from the golden eras of theatre and film – particularly at this level of quality – are increasingly scarce.

Showstoppers speaks to collectors and institutions who understand that great performance does not disappear when the curtain falls. It lives on in the art that shaped it.

Al Hirschfeld (1903-2003) – Meryl Streep in “Happy End”
Sight: 22 1/4 x 13 3/4 inches, ink on board
Signed lower right, published June 10, 1977 in The New York Times

Irene Sharaff (1910-1993) – “West Side Story” Natalie Wood as Maria, Costume Design
Sight: 16 x 12 1/2 inches, gouache, watercolor, pen and ink on board, 1961 film
Signed and inscribed: Sharaff, West Side Story, Maria, Natalie Wood (lower right)

Miles White (1915 – 2000) – Bye Bye Birdie
11 x 8 inches, mixed Media on Paper
Signed lower right and noted
Act 1, Scene 4, Penn Station scene

William Gropper (1898 – 1977) – Opera Box
20 x 16 inches, oil on board, 1957, signed lower left

Jo Mielziner (1901-1976) – “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” Set Design
7 ½ x 11 ½ inches, pencil on paper.
Label verso from Richard Stoddard, Dated June 18. 1996 to Mr. Joe Warfield.
Jo Mielziner, preliminary pencil sketch for “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” 1955.
This is an authentic original design by Jo Mielziner, consigned for sale by the heirs to his estate. Signed Richard Stoddard.

Tony Walton (1934-2002) – Michael Jackson Costume Sculpture “The Wiz”
Bronze, 12 1/2 x 6 x 3 1/2 inches, Unsigned

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HELICLINE FINE ART
www.heliclinefineart.com | @heliclinefineart

Founded in 2008 by Roy Goldberg and Keith Sherman, Helicline Fine Art specializes in American and European modernism, with particular strength in WPA-era works. The gallery also presents American Scene painting, Social Realism, mural studies, industrial landscapes, Regionalism, abstraction, and related movements. Located in a private Midtown Manhattan space, Helicline Fine Art is open by appointment.

Works are available through HeliclineFineArt.com, Artsy.net and 1stDibs.com.

All images courtesy of Helicline Fine Art.

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