Kitaev Alexander

Alexander Kitaev (b. 1952, Leningrad) is a Russian photographer, artist, curator, and photography historian. He is a member of the Russian Union of Art Photographers (1992) and the Union of Russian Artists (1994). A representative of the St. Petersburg school of artistic photography, he is known for his cityscapes, portraits of cultural figures, and experiments with photograms. From 1970 to 1978, he worked as a mechanical assembly locksmith at the Zarya Leningrad Electromechanical Plant, where he became interested in photography through a colleague. He studied at the North-West Correspondence Polytechnic Institute from 1971 to 1973. In 1977, he graduated from the photojournalism faculty at the Leningrad House of Journalists. From 1978, he worked as a photographer at the Admiralty Shipyards. In 1982, he embarked on intensive self-education. He participated in photo clubs "Okno" (1975–1979), "Druzhba" (1979), "Zerkalo" (1987–1988), "Fotozentrum," and the "Community of Art Photographers" (1988–1989). He organized the Art-Tema Publishing House (2000) and served as art director of the Raskolnikov Photo Gallery (2004–2005). He conducted photo expeditions to Mount Athos (1996, 1998–2000). He was a scholarship recipient of the Paris City Hall (2006). Since the 1980s, he has created cycles of St. Petersburg landscapes and portraits. In the 1990s, he experimented with abstract photography (photograms, chemigraphy). He has held over 70 solo exhibitions in Russia and Europe. He delivered lectures on photography history and conducted master classes at the State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg, the Hermitage Youth Education Center, ROSPHOTO, and the Baltic Photo School. He authored books and albums on photographic art.