Sasha Gusov

In this collaborative volume, black-and-white photographs by London-based Russian photographer Sasha Gusov (born 1960) document the shooting of Russian film director Andrei Konchalovsky’s (born 1937) film The Sin. Both taking Michelangelo as their subject, Gusov’s photographs resemble Quattrocento paintings, capturing Konchalovsky’s actors in stark and meditative poses.

Sasha Gusov: The Bolshoi presents a remarkable behind-the-scenes study of the dancers, musicians and onlookers at the legendary Bolshoi Ballet through the lens of the acclaimed Russian photographer (born 1960). Gusov's affection for his subjects is personal; one of his first jobs upon arriving in London in 1989 was as a cleaner at a dance studio, where he got the chance to observe young actors and dancers up close. Not long after, in 1992, the Bolshoi Ballet arrived in London, and Gusov got permission from the company's artistic director to shoot backstage for a month, thus beginning a unique collaboration that has lasted for more than two decades. In this volume—a beautiful, clothbound gem of a book—Gusov lovingly documents the everyday action of the Bolshoi, with rehearsals, costuming and the application of stage makeup captured in elegant, textural black-and-white photographs.