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Rudolf Nureyev

1 of 45 portraits by Derry Moore, 12th Earl of Drogheda

© Derry Moore

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Rudolf Nureyev

by Derry Moore, 12th Earl of Drogheda
colour print, 1985
14 1/2 in. x 11 5/8 in. (368 mm x 295 mm)
Purchased, 1993
Primary Collection
NPG P531

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Born in the former Soviet Union, Nureyev danced with Kirov Ballet until defection to the West in 1961. A regular guest artist of the Royal Ballet and frequent partner of Dame Margot Fonteyn from 1962, Nureyev is acclaimed as the greatest male dancer of his generation.

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Events of 1985back to top

Current affairs

55 people die in the Manchester air disaster when a British Airtours Boeing 737 bursts into flames after an aborted takeoff at Manchester International Airport.

Art and science

Bob Geldof and Midge Ure organise Live Aid, a rock concert in London and Philadelphia, to raise funds for famine relief. The biggest names in popular music, including Paul McCartney, Queen, Status Quo, The Police, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, U2, The Who, and Led Zeppelin, performed to a TV audience of 1.5 billion.
The British Antarctic Survey discovers a hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica.

International

Reformer Mikhail Gorbachev comes to power as first secretary of the Soviet Communist party. He calls for 'glasnost' (openness) in Soviet life, and pursues a policy of 'perestroika' (reconstruction).
French intelligence operatives sabotage Rainbow Warrior, the Greenpeace vessel. The ship was leading a protest against French nuclear testing in New Zealand when it was bombed and sunk, killing one of the twelve on board.

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Christina Surm

06 September 2016, 21:03

Published in Architectural Digest (Sept 1985)
With accompanying text by Lee Radziwill
Related image published in 'Rooms' (2006, Rizzoli)
Interiors by Emilio Carcano

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