A symbol of Russian poetry in one image An iconic portrait of a famous Russian poet Anna Akhmatova (who was Amadeo Modiglani's lover in one time frame) by Georges Annenkov is announced a painting of the month on www.russianartsalon.com
In the summer of 1924, Annenkov emigrated from the Soviet Union together with his wife, actress and ballerina Elena (Helen) Galperi. He took part in the 1924 Venice art show, then worked in Berlin, Germany, and exhibited his art in several shows across Europe. Eventually he settled in Paris, France. He also made set designs for about 60 stage productions of operas, ballets, and dramas, in collaboration with such directors as George Balanchine, Léonide Massine, Bronislava Njinska, Michael Chekhov and Serge Lifar. He also made numerous portraits of such cultural figures as Maurice Ravel and Jean Cocteau, among others. In the 1930s Annenkov became involved in film productions. He first collaborated with such film directors as F.W. Murnau and Viktor Tourjansky. Georges Annenkov is best known for his costumes for Madame de... (1953), for which he earned an Academy Award-nomination for Best Costume Design, shared with Rosine Delamare. Annenkov's costumes and set designers had won him much critical acclaim, especially his costumes for Gérard Philipe in Amants de Montparnasse (Montparnasse 19), Les (1958) and Chartreuse de Parme, La (1948), among other films. Among his works for television was his lavish design for 'The Cherry Orchard', a 1959 WD production of the eponymous play by Anton Chekhov.
From 1945 - 1955 Annenkov was president of the French Syndicate of Cinema Technicians. Annenkov's witty and bitter-sweet memoirs were published in Russian and French and had success among intellectuals in Europe. His book 'Journal of my meetings' (1966) was translated in several languages, albeit the book was banned in the Soviet Union, until the collapse of the USSR in 1991. Georges Annenkov died of natural causes, aged 83, on July 12, 1974, in Paris, France, and was laid to rest in the Russian Cemetery at Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, in Paris, France.
Georges (Yuri) Annenkov was married to Russian ballerina Elena (Helen) Annenkov (nee Galperi), who was also his Muse and inspirational model for numerous drawings, oil portraits, and design ideas for cinema. Annenkov's works are now in permanent collections of the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, and in private collections and galleries across the world.
