By Jo Anne Triplett for LEO WEEKLY
October 11th, 2017
A ballet pointe shoe resting atop an egg. How simple — and how odd. The two do not normally go together. And yet that vision by the late designer Julius Friedman became an iconic poster of international renown.
“Toe on Egg,” as it became known, was created in 1980. Because of it and “Fresh Paint,” another poster with eggs that has become well-known, Friedman started describing himself as “the egg man.”
In the book “Julius Friedman: Images & Ideas,” designer Leslie Friesen wrote that Friedman used “the combination of incongruous elements to create an unexpected, attention-grabbing image … The results are memorable, etching themselves in your mind.”
Friedman admired dance and especially the Louisville Ballet, and he gifted “Toe on Egg” to the troupe. “Julius was a true artist,” said Cherie Perez, the Louisville Ballet’s director of marketing. “His love for the Ballet and the Louisville community ran deep.”
But even icons can be revisited, much like revivals on Broadway.