Diaghilev, Sergei Pavlovich 1872-1929
Russian ballet impresario

Born in Novgorod, he obtained a law degree, but his real preoccupation was with the arts. In 1898 he became editor of Mir Iskusstva ('World of Art') and during the next few years arranged exhibitions and concerts of Russian art and music. He presented Boris Godunov in Paris (1908), and the next year brought a ballet company to the Ch�telet. His permanent company, Ballets Russes de Diaghilev, was founded in 1911 (with headquarters in Monte Carlo, and Enrico Cecchetti as ballet master) and remained in existence for 20 years, successfully touring Europe, despite constant financial anxiety. Most of the great dancers, composers and painters of this period - among them the choreographers and dancers Vaslav Nijinsky, L�onide Massine and George Balanchine, artists Leon Bakst, Picasso and Natalia Goncharova, and composers Erik Satie and Stravinsky - contributed to the company's success, and many owed their subsequent fame to their association with it. A temperamental tyrant, who combined ruthlessness with charm, he seemed to activate the creation of works of art through his mere presence.

Bibliography: Arnold L Haskell and W Nouvel, Diaghileff (1955)