Leon Bakst (1866 - 1924)

Born in St.Petersburg and originally called Leon Rosenberg, Bakst became a scenic artist to the Imperial Theatres in1900. With a profound belief in the power of the imagination on aesthetics Bakst became a member of the World of art Group and was taken on as a designer  by Diaghilev in 1909. In his work for the sets and costumes of many Ballets Russes productions Bakst's underlying principles for theatrical design can be seen. With an interest in the exoticism of the far east he produced some of the most resplendent designs in the ballet companies history. Bakst used a broad range of bewitching and sumptuous colours in his attempt to display atmosphere and the spirit of the age in which the play was set, transporting the spectator to the imagination.