Rouben Ter-Arutunian (1920–1992). Armenian-American theatre designer

Born in Tbilisi, Georgia, Rouben Ter-Arutunian studied at the Reimann Art School in Berlin and took courses at Berlin’s Friedrich-Wilhelm University, the University of Vienna and the École des Beaux Arts in Paris. He designed dance costumes for the Berlin Staatsoper, Dresden Opera and the Vienna State Opera before moving to New York in 1951. There he worked on Broadway and in opera, and formed a 25-year association with George Balanchine and New York City Ballet, designing productions that included The Seven Deadly Sins, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Harlequinade, Ballet Imperial, Coppélia, Union Jack, Vienna Waltzes, and Robert Schumann’s Davidsbundlertanze. He also worked with other ballet companies, designing Francesca da Rimini, Pas de Duke, Ricercare, Pierrot Lunaire and Sphinx for American Ballet Theatre. His designs for Glen Tetley’s Voluntaries have been performed by a number of companies, including Stuttgart Ballet, The Royal Ballet and American Ballet Theatre.