Portrait of Alexandre Benois

Leon Bakst and Alexandre Benois were not just contemporary artists, they were the two foremost set and stage designers of their time. Together, their work revolutionized the stage design industry, creating movable works of art as costumes, and painting masterpiece canvases as backdrops. In the late 1890’s Bakst was a leading member of the Mir Iskusstva, or World of Art Group, of which Benois was also a prominent member. Preferring to use the light and airy feeling of gouache painting rather than full-scale works, Bakst and other members of the group often designed small interiors and books, as a way to bring art to every corner of the house.