Photographer Alexander Kitaev and his timeless Petersburg (18 photos)

During the Soviet era, photographers, like other creative people, were forced to work with an eye on party ideology. But there were artists willing to take risks for the sake of creative freedom. Alexander Kitaev is one such photographer, whose work from the 1980s became a documentary chronicle of Leningrad and its underground culture. His black-and-white photographs of the city and its people remain timeless and fashionable.





From a mechanic to a photographer

Alexander Alexandrovich Kitaev was born in 1952 in Leningrad. From 1970 to 1978, he worked as a mechanic at the Zarya plant while simultaneously studying by correspondence at the Polytechnic Institute. It was during these years that his passion for photography began – in 1972, the young worker joined the Vyborg Photo Club, one of the oldest in the city.



Old People. 1988

In 1977, Kitaev graduated from the photojournalist department of the City University of Culture and transitioned to professional work. He spent the following years working for various organizations and actively participating in exhibitions. The turning point came in 1982 – the photographer left all official clubs and associations to photograph what he considered important, without regard for censorship or party directives.

Chronicle of the Leningrad Underground

Sunny. 1988

Alexander Kitaev created an extensive gallery of portraits of Leningrad-St. Petersburg culture, including its unofficial side. Many of his photographs of rock musicians became iconic and entered the history of Russian music. At the same time, the photographer documented the everyday life of his hometown—without embellishment or staging, which gives his work a special atmosphere and honesty.



Boris Grebenshchikov. 2003

Alexander Kitaev speaks of his hometown with particular feeling:

"For me, St. Petersburg is timeless. And I try to convey the unchanging spiritual core of this city as a Person. It is contradictory, this Person."



Alexander Bashirov. 1995

In 2012, Alexander Kitaev announced the end of his photographic practice. Since then, he has been studying the history of photography and lecturing on the subject, passing on his experience to the next generation.

Photographs of Alexander Kitaev: A Look at Leningrad in the 1980s



Shop window. 1988



Sign of trouble. 1987



Children. 1987



Anastasia Volochkova. 1997



Kolomenskaya Madonna. 1990



The Kolibri Group. 1995



Old Lady. 1988



Alisa Grebenshchikova. 1996



Vzgljad. 1988



Mstislav Rostropovich. 1990



Among the cars. From the "Near Saigon" series. 1988



Leningradsky Dvorik. 1988



A Place in the Sun. 1988

Is such honest and independent photography, unconstrained by trends, algorithms, and audience expectations, possible today? Is there a place for photographers of Kitaev's caliber—and which contemporary photographers can compare to him?