Leon Bakst, a leading Russian artist, lived between 1866 & 1924. He was a founding member of 'Mir Iskusstva' (World of Art) association based in St Petersburg in the late 1890's, led by Alexander Benois & Sergei Diaghilev. He was widely acclaimed as a portraitist, book illustrator, and landscape painter, but is particularly applauded for his outstanding designs for stage sets and costumes. Bakst made a unique contribution to the popularization of Russian art in Western Europe.