Helicline Fine Art is now presenting 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. On view 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.
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.
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.
BroadwayWorld is very excited to share some works from inside the exhibition below!
Diana Ross 16 1/2 x 11 inches
Mixed media on paper
Signed lower left, Titled upper right Design for a Mattel doll
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.
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
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
“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)
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)
“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
Michael Jackson Costume Sculpture “The Wiz”
Bronze
12 1/2 x 6 x 3 1/2 inches
Unsigned
Bye Bye Birdie
11 x 8 inches
Mixed Media on Paper
Signed lower right and noted
Act 1, Scene 4, Penn Station scene
Opera Box
20 x 16 inches
Oil on board, 1957
Signed lower left
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
