Sergey P. Diaghilev (1872-1929) was a Russian theatrical and artistic personality, one of the founders of the World of Art group, the arranger of the Russian Seasons in Paris and the Ballets Russes company, an impresario. He played one of the decisive roles in the promotion of Russian art in Europe and worldwide at the turn of the 20th century, and “discovered” many talented ballet dancers, composers and stage designers. He was born on March 31, 1872, in Selishchi of the Novgorod Province. In 1879, the Diaghilev family moved from St. Petersburg to Perm. Upon graduation from a gymnasium in 1890, Diaghilev returned to St. Petersburg and entered the Law Department of the St. Petersburg University. During his studies, he got carried away by painting and became one of the founders of the World of Art association. The first step in Diaghilev's career was the arrangement of a series of exhibitions of contemporary European and Russian artists, which were held with great success. Upon joining the Imperial Theaters, he was appointed the Editor of the Yearbook of the Imperial Theaters and reformed the outlet into a high-quality art magazine with several supplements, high-grade illustrations and literary articles.
With a support of influential patrons, he held the first Historical Russian Concert in Paris, presenting Russian opera to the French public in 1906, and ballet in 1909. The success of the Russian ballet performances was so spectacular that it favored a vogue wave “of everything Russian” that swept Europe in the early 20th century. The private theatrical concern toured annually and gradually expanded its geography from Paris to other European cities. After the 1917 Revolution, the company ceased contacts with Russia and continued to work under the name of Diaghilev until his death in 1929. Since 1992, the Diaghilevs' ancestral home in Perm has been housing a gymnasium named after Sergei Diaghilev and a museum forming a single complex with the gymnasium. In 2007, a monument to Sergei Diaghilev by sculptor Ernst Neizvestny was installed in the concert hall of the House of Diaghilev. On the initiative of the Perm Opera and Ballet Theater, the annual Diaghilev Festival is held in Perm.
The postage stamp features a painting by G. Shishkin with a portrait of S. Diaghilev, Russian Seasons theater posters, and the World of Art magazine with a scene from a ballet performance as a backdrop.
In addition to the issue of the postage stamp, JSC Marka produced First Day Covers and special cancels for Moscow, St. Petersburg, Perm and Veliky Novgorod as well as an illustrated envelope with postal stamps and a label inside.
Artist: G. Shishkin; Design: O. Savina.
Face value: 55 rubles.
Stamp size: 37×50 mm, sheet size: 170×177 mm.
Emission form: a sheet with formatted margins with 12 (4×3) stamps.
Quantity: 120 thousand stamps (10 thousand sheets).
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