Nicola Alexandrovich Benois (2 May 1901 – 31 March 1988) was a stage designer, known for his work as principal scenographer and costume designer at La Scala in Milan.

Education and early career

Nicola was the son of

Alexandre Benois Alexandre Nikolayevich Benois (russian: Алекса́ндр Никола́евич Бенуа́, also spelled Alexander Benois; ,Salmina-Haskell, Larissa. ''Russian Paintings and Drawings in the Ashmolean Museum''. pp. 15, 23-24. Published by ...

, an influential artist, critic, historian and stage designer. He was born in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, Russia, where his father was the costume designer of the

Mariinsky Theatre The Mariinsky Theatre ( rus, Мариинский театр, Mariinskiy teatr, also transcribed as Maryinsky or Mariyinsky) is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music th ...

, the imperial opera house. The family lived in their grand mansion near the opera house, which was built by his grandfather

Nikolai Benois Nicholas Benois (russian: link=no, Никола́й Лео́нтьевич Бенуа́; 13 July 1813 – 23 December 1898) was an Imperial Russian architect who worked in Peterhof and other suburbs of St Petersburg. Biography Benois was born i ...

. Nicola studied art and design under his father before attending the Academy of Fine Arts in Saint Petersburg.Owen, Bobbi. ''Costume Design On Broadway: Designers and Their Credits, 1915–1985.'' Greenwood Press: New York, 1987 After working as scenographer and set designer for several of the Mariinsky opera and ballet productions, he emigrated from Russia to Paris, France in 1923. There he worked for

Sergei Diaghilev Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev ( ; rus, Серге́й Па́влович Дя́гилев, , sʲɪˈrɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪdʑ ˈdʲæɡʲɪlʲɪf; 19 August 1929), usually referred to outside Russia as Serge Diaghilev, was a Russian art critic, pa ...

as a set designer for several of the Ballets Russes productions.

Work at La Scala

Nicola later moved to Italy, following his father Alexandre Benois, and was invited by

Alexander Sanin Alexander Akimovich Sanin (russian: Александр Акимович Санин, né Shoenberg, Шёнберг; – 8 May 1956) was a Russian actor, director and acting teacher.

to design Khovanshchina at La Scala. His designs were well received and he was offered a position as a designer at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. In 1935, Nicola accepted the post of principal scenographer at La Scala. There he collaborated with

Luchino Visconti Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, stage director, and screenwriter. A major figure of Italian art and culture in the mid-20th century, Visconti was one of the ...

, the powerful producer of La Scala, who insisted on genuine period jewelry and costumes for the performing stars. Benois was a master of period design. His stage works are remarkable for their mastery of line, form and color scheme. Many are now exhibited as museum pieces and studied by designers worldwide. In all, he designed about 300 ballet and opera productions for theaters of Turin, Milan, Rome, and other cities worldwide. He died in 1988, in

Codroipo Codroipo ( fur, Codroip) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region Friuli Venezia Giulia, located about northwest of Trieste and about southwest of Udine. Codroipo borders the following municipalities: Basiliano, Bertiolo, Camino a ...

, Italy.

References

External links

Nikolai Alexandrovich Benois at artnet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benois, Nicola 1901 births 1988 deaths La Scala Russian designers Emigrants from the Russian Empire to France