“A Theatre Well Buttoned Up: Stage puppets from Nohant” – temporary exhibition in Żelazowa Wola

The Birthplace of Fryderyk Chopin and Park in Żelazowa Wola invites you to a temporary exhibition entitled ‘Theatre buttoned up to the neck: Stage dolls from Nohant’. The exhibition is open to visitors until 31 October 2025.

“It all started with pantomime, and that was Chopin’s idea. He sat at the piano and improvised, while the youngsters mimed scenes and danced comical ballets,” wrote George Sand in her later years, recalling the puppet theatre performances organized by her son, Maurice Sand, at their family’s summer estate in Nohant, central France. Initially just a salon amusement, this form of theatre became Maurice Sand’s lifelong passion. In 1852, he opened a professional puppet theatre in Paris, where he successfully staged his own plays for over 30 years.

The exhibition “A Theatre Well Buttoned Up” is one of the projects made possible through a collaboration between the Fryderyk Chopin Institute and the House of George Sand in Nohant. The museum in Nohant has preserved numerous mementos of the writer and her family, including an extensive collection of artifacts related to puppet theatre, now loaned and made accessible to the Polish public by the Fryderyk Chopin Museum.

At the heart of the exhibition are theatrical puppets crafted between 1850 and 1886 by Maurice Sand with the assistance of his mother. Fryderyk Chopin, a great theatre enthusiast—particularly of opera—played a crucial role in the creation of the home theatre in Nohant. His fascination with the performing arts began in his youth in Warsaw. Together with his siblings, he participated in performances at his family home and those of friends. 

The exhibition space is symbolically divided into two sections, reflecting the natural layout of a theatre: the audience area and the backstage. Visitors can admire up close these unique masterpieces of puppetry, created with remarkable craftsmanship and precision. The exhibition also showcases elements of the original stage machinery from Nohant, miniature costumes and patterns, as well as theatrical props. Complementing the display are period posters, invitations to performances, and other memorabilia.

Exhibition Curators: Anna Adamusińska-Tasak, Elisabeth Portet, Dr. Małgorzata Zawadzka
Curator of the Fryderyk Chopin Museum: Dr. Seweryn Kuter
Curator of the Maison de George Sand à Nohant: Elisabeth Pezza Braoun

Exhibition design: Studio Karolina Fandrejewska 
Design team: Karolina Fandrejewska, Mikołaj Niewęgłowski, Anna Langowska, Mirosław Falkowski
Graphic design: Marta Lissowska
Graphic assistant: Piotr Karski

The exhibition has been organized as part of the partnership agreement between the Fryderyk Chopin Institute and the Centre des Monuments Nationaux.