St. Petersburg to Give Paris Sergei Diagilev's Bust Sculpture

St. Petersburg will make a present to Paris of a bust sculpture of Sergei Diagilev, a great promoter of Russian culture. The bust is by a well-known sculptor, Levon Lazarev. According to the Committee on External Relations of the administration of St. Petersburg, the gift will be made as a token of gratitude to the Paris Chatles Theatre and the whole French capital for the Russian Seasons.

Sergei Diagilev was born nearly 131 years ago, on March 19, 1872. His first Russian Season opened in 1906 to continue to represent Russian fine arts, music, and ballet to Paris for long years to come.

On Tuesday, January 14, Levon Lazarev's sculpting studio will be opened to visitors who can view Sergei Diagilev's sculpture before it travels to Paris. Its solemn opening will take place in the Chatles Theatre in Paris on January 23, 2003. Bertrand Delanoe, Paris Mayor; Vladimir Yakovlev, Governor of St. Petersburg; and Alexander Avdeyev, Russia's Ambassador to France, will attend.