Mikhail Baryshnikov

Irving Penn (1917-2009), one of the undisputed masters of twentieth-century photography, is known for his iconic images of haute couture and still life, but also, and above all, for his magnificent portraits of the artists, writers and celebrities who marked the cultural landscape of their time.

Mikhail Baryshnikov (born 1948) is one of the greatest dancers of the 20th century and a renowned choreographer and ballet director. Originally from Latvia, he left the Soviet Union in 1974 to dance with various companies. It was through this that he worked with George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins in New York. He was appointed artistic director of the American Ballet Theatre in 1980 and trained a whole new generation of dancers and choreographers. He then co-founded the White Oak Dance Project where he taught his vision of modern American dance.

This photograph was shown for the first time by Pinault Collection in 2023 during the exhibition “Irving Penn, Artists' Portraits”, Villa Les Roches Brunes, Dinard.