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Nadia Benois

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In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Leontievna and the family name is Ustinova.

Nadia Benois
Надежда Бенуа
Self-portrait
Born
Nadezhda Leontievna Benois

(1896-05-17)17 May 1896[1]
Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire
Died8 December 1975(1975-12-08) (aged 79)
Gloucestershire, England
Occupation(s)Artist, painter
SpouseJona von Ustinov
ChildrenPeter Ustinov
RelativesTamara Ustinov (granddaughter)

Nadezhda Leontievna Ustinova (Russian: Надежда Леонтьевна Устинова; née Benois (Бенуа); 17 May 1896 – 8 December 1975),[2] better known as Nadia Benois,[3] was a Russian-born painter of still lifes and landscapes, and stage designer. Her father Leon Benois belonged to the Benois family. She was the mother of British actor, writer, and filmmaker Sir Peter Ustinov.

Personal life

[edit]

Nadia Benois, born Nadezhda Leontievna Benois in Saint Petersburg, was the youngest daughter of Leon Benois, a Russian architect. Nadezhda studied to be an artist at St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts. On 1 June 1920,[4] Benois met Jona Ustinov, a journalist and diplomat; On 17 July 1920, Benois married Ustinov, and the two settled in London on 22 December 1920. On April 16, 1921, Peter, their only child was born. In 1935, Jona became a British subject.

She died on 8 December 1975 in Gloucestershire.[5]

Artistic career

[edit]

Painting work

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In the course of her travels, Benois painted the impressionist landscapes of London, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland.[6] She exhibited her works in the Goupil, Redfern, Beaux-Arts, and other galleries, and is mentioned in multiple journals from the Royal Arts Society.[7] Some of her still lifes were acquired by the Tate Gallery in 1936.[8]

Design work

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Benois was regarded as a figure of leadership in her design career.[9] She was the scenery and costume designer for The Descent of Hebe.[10] Antony Tudor has stated that Benois' work was the inspiration for the choreography of this work.[11][12] She also designed the stage for the ballet Cap over Mill, which was part of the Dark Elegies.[13] Benois' work in Cap over Mill has been positively regarded as "striking décor".[14] Her contributions to Dark Elegies have been credited as a key addition to the timelessness of the work.[15] Benois was also credited for her work adding to the qualities which made Dark Elegies stand as a unique experience.[16][17] In 1938, Benois designed the set and the costumes for La Péri. Despite the praise that was given to Benois' contributions, the performance was withdrawn due to criticism towards the choreographer.[18] Her work on The Sleeping Princess has been criticized, with this criticism stimming from the low budget she was given.[19] In 1948, Benois commented about her work on Lady into Fox, claiming it to be her "gem above all gems".[20] A performer for Lady into Fox has also praised Benois' design, claiming that the costume which she had designed for her to use was "perfect".[21]

Later, Benois created costumes and sets for the films Vice Versa (1948) and Private Angelo (1949), both written and directed by her son, Peter.[22][23]

Notable works

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Paintings

  • "Kensington Gardens" (Manchester City Art Gallery, 1937)

Group Exhibitions

"Three Women Painters" by Nadia Benois, Clare Crossley, Nancy Tennant (Michael Parkin Gallery, 1975)

Design Productions

  • "The Descent of Hebe" (1935)
  • "Dark Elegies"(1937)
  • "La Péri" (1938)
  • "The Sleeping Princess" (1939)
  • "Lady into Fox" (1939)
  • "Cap Over Mill" (1940)

References

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  1. ^ Dolman, Bernard, ed. (1962). Who's who in Art (11 ed.).
  2. ^ Chilvers, Ian (2017). The Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0191024177.
  3. ^ Windsor, Alan (1998). Handbook of modern British painting and printmaking: 1900-1990 (2nd of "Handbook of modern British painting : 1900-1980" Scolar press, 1992, expanded and updated ed.). Aldershot: Ashgate. ISBN 1859284272.
  4. ^ Day, Peter (2015). The Bedbug: Klop Ustinov: Britain's Most Ingenious Spy (1st ed.). Biteback Publishing. pp. 21–42. ISBN 978-1849549462.
  5. ^ Bolton, Roy. Views of Russia & Russian Works on Paper. Sphinx Fine Art. ISBN 978-1-907200-05-2.
  6. ^ "Искусство и архитектура русского зарубежья - БЕНУА (в замуж. Устинова) Надежда Леонтьевна".
  7. ^ "THE WEEK". BMJ. 2 (2974): 867–870. December 29, 1917. doi:10.1136/bmj.2.2974.867. ISSN 0959-8138. S2CID 220237215.
  8. ^ Foster, Alicia (2004). Tate Women Artists. London: Tate Publishing. p. 71 ISBN 1-85437-311-0
  9. ^ Haskell, Arnold L. (1939). "The Birth of the English Ballet". Journal of the Royal Society of Arts. 87 (4517): 784–806. ISSN 0035-9114. JSTOR 41359367.
  10. ^ "The Descent of Hebe". www.antonytudor.org. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  11. ^ Sawyer, Elizabeth (January 5, 2003). "The Enigmatic Garden: Antony Tudor's Jardin aux Lilas". Dance Chronicle. 26 (1): 31–84. doi:10.1081/DNC-120018852. ISSN 0147-2526. S2CID 192158608.
  12. ^ Sawyer, Elizabeth (January 1997). ""That Englishman abroad": A tribute to Antony Tudor". Dance Chronicle. 20 (3): 227–273. doi:10.1080/01472529708569286. ISSN 0147-2526.
  13. ^ Gore, Paula Hinton; Crisp, Clement (April 1988). "IV. Walter Gore's Choreographies: A first listing First performance dates only are given. Many of these ballets were later staged for other companies". Dance Research. VI (1): 23–29. doi:10.2307/1290745. ISSN 0264-2875. JSTOR 1290745.
  14. ^ Robinson, Suzanne (2019). Peggy Glanville-Hicks: Composer and Critic (1st ed.). University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0252084393.
  15. ^ Siegel, Marcia B. (2006). "A Century in Brief". The Hudson Review. 59 (1): 99–106. ISSN 0018-702X. JSTOR 20464540.
  16. ^ Sawyer, Elizabeth (March 16, 2005). "NOTES ON DARK ELEGIES". Dance Chronicle. 28 (1): 1–27. doi:10.1081/DNC-200048962. ISSN 0147-2526. S2CID 191619237.
  17. ^ Kelly, Brigitte (January 1999). "Dancing for joy: A memoir, Part Two". Dance Chronicle. 22 (2): 251–300. doi:10.1080/01472529908569350. ISSN 0147-2526.
  18. ^ "Khadra and Sea Change: Sibelius's music at Sadler's Wells". Sibelius One. July 5, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  19. ^ Walker, Kathrine Sorley (January 1998). "Robert Helpmann, dancer and choreographer part one". Dance Chronicle. 21 (1): 1–72. doi:10.1080/01472529808569296. ISSN 0147-2526.
  20. ^ Walker, Kathrine Sorley (January 1990). "The choreography of Andrée Howard". Dance Chronicle. 13 (3): 265–358. doi:10.1080/01472529008569045. ISSN 0147-2526.
  21. ^ Gilmour, Sally (1984). "Remembering Andrée Howard". Dance Research: The Journal of the Society for Dance Research. 2 (1): 48–60. doi:10.2307/1290779. ISSN 0264-2875. JSTOR 1290779.
  22. ^ "Royal Agricultural Society of England : Award of Research Medal". Nature. 181 (4622): 1506–1507. May 1958. Bibcode:1958Natur.181S1506.. doi:10.1038/1811506c0. ISSN 0028-0836.
  23. ^ "Nadia Benois | Biography | IMDb" Retrieved on May 14, 2014.
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