Benois family

Portrait of the Benois family

The Benois family was a family of prominent 19th- and 20th-century Russian artists, musicians and architects, descended from French confectioner Louis Jules Benois, who came to Russia in 1794 after the French Revolution.

Famous members of the Benois family include:

• Nicholas Leontievich Benois (1813–1898), Russian architect. Designed several buildings for the Imperial Family at Peterhof.
• Albert Nikolayevich Benois (1852–1936), Russian water-colorist.
• Leon Nikolayevich "Leonty" Benois (1856–1928), Russian architect. He helped design the St. Petersburg Court Choir Chapel (now the Mikhail linka Academic Choir Chapel).
• Ekaterina Nikolayevna "Katherine" Benois – married sculptor Yevgeny Alexandrovich Lanceray (1848–1886), also spelled Eugene Lansere.
• Camilla Nikolayevna Benois – married a British immigrant, Matthew Edward Edwards. Their daughter Camilla Edwards married Armenian architect Alexander Tamanian (1878–1936). Her son Georgi Tamanian (1910–) was also a prominent Armenian architect.
• Alexander Nikolayevich Benois (1870–1960), painter, theatrical designer, art citic. His daughter Yelena Alexandrovna Benois-Clément (1898–1972), was a talented painter, her first husband was composer Ivan Wyschnegradsky (1893–1979). His son Nicola Alexandrovich Benois (1901–1988), was the principal theatrical designer at La Scala in Milan.
• Niko Albertovich Benois married Maria Nikolayevna Kuznetsova (1880–1966), a famous Russian opera singer.
• Maria Albertovna Benois married Russian composer, pianist, and conductor Nikolai Nikolayevich Tcherepnin (1873–1945), also spelled Cherepnin. They were the parents of Alexander Nikolayevich Tcherepnin (1899–1977), composer and pianist. His son Ivan Alexandrovich Tcherepnin (1943–1998), was also a talented composer.
• Nadezhda Leontievna Benois (1895–1975), illustrator and graphic designer. Mother of the famous British actor Sir Peter Ustinov (1921–2004).
• Yevgeny Yevgenievich Lanceray (1875–1946), Russian graphic artist, painter, illustrator.
• Zinaida Yevgenievna Lanceray (1884–1967), Russian portrait painter. Mother of artists Alexander Borisovich Serebriakov (1907–1994), Tatiana Borisovna Serebriakova (1912–1989), and Ekaterina Borisovna Serebriakova (1913–), and architect Yevgeny Borisovich Serebriakov (1906–).

• Camille Albertovna Benois (17 Apr 1878- 04 Jul 1953), artist. Married Gen. Dimitri L Horvath (1858-1937) who was General Manager of the Chinese Eastern Railway and a direct descendant of Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Golenischev-Kutuzov.

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External links

• Biography of Maria Kuznetsova
• Biography of the Tcherepnin Family