Striking original Ida Kar photograph of the Soviet-born ballerina, choreographer, director, and actress who embodied the Bolshoi Theater in the second half of the twentieth century. The image from Swan Lake, stamped by the Bolshoi and by the photographer on the verso and signed boldly in black ink to the lower image by the dancer. Some chipping and tears to the edges, otherwise fine.  9.5 x 11.4 inches; 24 x 29 cm. 

Ida Kar was active mainly in London after 1945 and specialized in portraits of artists and writers. Her solo show of photographs at the Whitechapel Gallery in 1960 was the first of its kind to be held in a major public gallery in London and she made a significant contribution to the recognition of photography as a form of fine art. The National Portrait Gallery in London acquired Kar's photograph archive in 1999, and in 2011 mounted a major exhibition of her work, Ida Kar: Bohemian Photographer 1908–1974.

From the collection of Paul McMahon, a critic, photographer and artist who worked for more than 13 years touring with Marlene Dietrich as the icon’s stage manager, announcer, dresser, secretary and escort, and later spent 25 years as an arts and entertainment reviewer and photographer with Gay Community News, Esplanade, Tommy’s Connection, The Mirror, Bay Windows and other publications.