Rudoph Nureyev

Rudolph Nureyev, 1970

Jack Mitchell, photographer

Gift of Lowell Nesbitt, The Dr. Jacob Joseph and Bernice Fox Weinstein Collection, U1981.4.2

Jack Mitchell was renowned for his intimate and up-close photographs of dancers and other performers such as this one of Rudolph Nureyev.

The dynamic between star dancer Nureyev and photographer Jack Mitchell was fraught with conflict. Often, during shoots, Nureyev would become frustrated and haughty, looking down on Mitchell with contempt. Yet, the tense relationship between the photographer and his subject resulted in captivating, regal portraits in which Nureyev fixed the camera with a brooding glare. A testament to Mitchell’s skill as a photographer, he commented, “it didn’t bother me, I just used it.