The term “diva” rose to prominence with its relation to an operatic background and popularly revolves around the traits of someone’s character. Typically (and misogynistically) attributed to women, it’s used to describe a person whose temperament and self-importance are quite difficult to handle. Traditionally, it’s strikingly negative and obviously patronising. The definition has relaxed these days, defining personalities whose presence in pop culture is of unignorable social and cultural value. But the Beyonces and Lady Gagas of the world are only the last in a line of artists who left their mark on the history of entertainment.
Ahead of the restoration premiere of the gothic masterpiece The Queen of Spades at the BFI London Film Festival, curator Claire Smith explores the ornate contributions of theatre designer Oliver Messel.