The story behind the artwork

Created exclusively for the V&A to celebrate their exhibition Opera: Passion, Power and Politics. This design was also made into an amazing diorama in a very low edition of 10, sold exclusively in the V&A Shop. 

This limited edition print reimagines a scene at the Opera. A host of colourful characters are arriving at the Opera with Maria Callas, in a white dress, forming the centre of the print. The beautiful staircase and building are taken from the Opera Garnier in Paris designed by Charles Garnier. The theatre stage has been inserted along with sumptuous red velvet curtains to frame the spectacle. The swirl in the sea shells mirror the treble clef in music partitions. The horse references in the print refer to the fact that historically people could tell how popular a show was by the amount of horse manure in front of the theatre after the performance. The more manure, the more popular the show!

Artwork details

Printed in our studio in London on Matt Smooth Fine Art Cotton 300 gsm, using giclée inks to ensure you are able to enjoy your print for years to come. All prints come with a physical Certificate of Authenticity.

Edition of 175, signed and numbered by the artist.

Print sizes:
44.5 cm x 44.5 cm

Framed dimensions (approximately):
56.5 cm x 56.5 cm x 3.5 cm

Our prints are professionally cut by hand in our studio, therefore sizes can vary by mm.

Please note, that all framed limited edition prints in L, XL or A0 and larger, are only available for delivery within the UK. If you wish to purchase an oversized framed artwork please email info@kristjanaswilliams.com for a bespoke quote on delivery cost. For further information on our framing service, click here.

Delivery & Returns

We offer free worldwide delivery on all unframed print orders.

For further details on delivery cost for framed print orders click here.

Unframed prints are delivered within 3-5 working days
Framed prints are delivered within 10-14 days

For information on our returns policy click here.