Alexandr Nikolaevich Benois was born May 4, 1870 in St. Petersburg,
Russia into the family of Italian, Russian and French ancestry. His
father, named Nikolai Leontievich Benois was the famous architect of
the Imperial Mariinsky Opera House in St. Petersburg and also built
many other historic landmarks. His two brothers were professional
artists, and young Alexandr Benois was brought up in a highly cultural
environment, conducive to the development of his own many talents. The
family lived in their private 4-story mansion next to the Imperial
Mariinsky Opera House in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Alexandr Benois studied art at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts, then
he studied law and graduated from the Law Department of the St.
Petersburg University. There he developed a life-long friendship with
his fellow law student Sergei Diaghilev. They formed a circle of artists and art
connoisseurs known as 'Mir Iskusstva' (World of Art). Benois lived in
Paris and Versailles for 3 years from 1896-99, where he made
substantial research on Louis the XIV, the "Sun King", and his epoch.
Benois made important contribution to the history of France by his
discovery of the memoirs of the Count Louis de Saint-Simon, and carried
unprecedented research of that period. Back in St. Petersburg he
published his acclaimed illustrations to 'The Queen of Spades' and
'Bronze Horseman' by Aleksandr Pushkin. "No Versailles could compare with
Peterhof and Pavlovsk" mentioned Benois after his return to St.
Petersburg.
In 1899-1907 Benois collaborated with Sergei Diaghilev on a number of art shows.
They produced the first international art show of artists from
Scandinavian countries and Russia in St. Petersburg in 1900. The
largest portrait show ever was organized in 1904 in Tavrichesky Palace
in St. Petersburg. That show also included the research of over 7
thousand portraits in various traditional and contemporary styles and
involved art historians, restorers, and artists from many Russian
cities. Benois also collaborated with Diaghilev on publication of art
catalogs, books and the 'Mir Iskusstva' art magazine, which promoted
artistic innovations and challenged the existing order. Their book
'History of Russian Painting' (1904) became the first comprehensive
work on the subject.
Benois was the scenic director of the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre from
1901-1905. He was also the co-founder of the "Seasons Russes" with
Sergei Diaghilev in 1909. He made exquisite design for the ballets "Giselle" by
Adolphe Adam, "Petruchka" by Igor Stravinsky and "Les Sylphides" on the music of
Frédéric Chopin with choreography by Mikhail Fokin. Back in Russia Benois
collaborated with Stanislavsky and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko on productions at the Moscow
Art Theatre (MKhAT).
Benois witnessed degradation of the Russian society through the
communist revolutions and the Civil War in the 1st quarter of the 20th
century. He escaped from the brutal reality of the Russian Revolutions
by devoting himself to the art of historic periods of Peter the Great,
Elisabeth and Catherine the Great, of which he became the leading
expert. In 1918-26 he was the Curator of Paintings at the Hermitage
Museum, partly because the famous 'Madonna Benois' by Leonardo DaVinci,
which used to be his family's property, was now at the Hermitage. But
witnessing of the barbaric treatment of art and illegal sales of the
famous masterpieces from Hermitage by secret orders from Moscow was
unbearable for Benois. In 1926, he left Hermitage and Russia for good.
His friendship and work with Sergei Diaghilev continued in Paris.
Benois was involved in publications of more than 100 art books and
editions. He worked on productions of about 200 ballets and operas all
over the world. His international background and inter-disciplinary
education enabled him to create the unparalleled grand-scale
cross-cultural and cross-genre project of the "Seasons Russes" together
with Sergei Diaghilev. Benois' contribution as an artist, designer, director,
producer, and an art historian made significant impact on theatre,
opera, ballet, art, and art publishing of the 20th century. His
comprehensive 'Memoirs' were published in 1955. He died on February 9,
1960 in Paris, and was laid to rest in Cimetiere des Batignolles, 8 Rue
Saint-Just, Paris, France.
Alexandre Benois was a member of a remarkable family of talented men
and women. His brother, Albert Benois, was a prominent Russian
water-colorist, whose grandson was composer Alexander Tcherepnin.
Alexandre Benois' son, Nicola Benois, was a painter and designer for the La
Scala Opera in Milan, Italy. His niece Nadia Benois was a film and theatre
artist in London. His other niece, Zinaida Serebryakova, and his
nephew, Eugene Lanceray, were notable artists and designers in Paris.
Benois's grand nephew Igor Ustinov was a sculptor, and Sir Peter Ustinov was
an Academy Award-winning British actor.
