On May 21, 2009, at the Mondadori Publishing House’s exhibition centre, an exhibition, Joseph Brodsky’s Russian Soul was opened. The event celebrating Joseph Brodsky’s memory was part of the Cultural Mission: St Petersburg-Venice project.

There are a lot of Joseph Brodsky’s photographs taken by different authors and covering different life periods of the poet, but somehow only the works by brilliant portrait photographer Sergei Bermenyev do become the cult photos. Filled with dramatic tension, sad irony and deep but unexpressed sense, they give us a rare insight into the soul indeed. Perhaps, the reason is these photos witnessed the last conversation between Photograph and Poet?

They met last time in New York, and the Exhibition Curator Marina Bermenyeva shows people this historical conversation in progress: the moment of meeting, meditation, two great men talking, poet walking away…

On display at the exhibition are the last photographs Sergei Bermenyev took of Joseph Brodsky, who loved Venice and knew the city well. Some of them are widely known to the public and have already gained the deserved recognition as the best Brodsky’s portraits, but in the most part the works were demonstrated for the first time. The poet’s friends who came to see them proved the photos wonderfully tell about Joseph Brodsky.

The day before the exhibition opening something extraordinary happened. Quite unbelievable and shocking as it may sound, but one of the exposed works was stolen by unknown. After this incident the Mondadori exhibition centre has been put under the strong guard of Italian carabineers and police.

At the opening ceremony, Sergei Bermenyev expressed the hope that the poet’s photograph was stolen by Joseph Brodsky’s devoted admirer and hence the possession will make him really happy.

The exhibition is overseen by the First Lady of Russia Svetlana Medvedeva. Present with Svetlana Medvedeva at the opening ceremony were Russian Minister of Culture Alexander Avdeyev, Mayor of Venice Massimo Cacciari, Russian Ambassador to Italy Alexei Meshkov, other officials, well known pianist and friend of Joseph Brodsky Boris Petrushansky, poet Yevgeny Reyn, worshippers and friends of Joseph Brodsky and Sergei Bermenyev, Italian personalities of culture.

The exhibition is held under the patronage of Venice City Administration and the Government of St Petersburg, and is also financed by the Foundation for Social and Cultural Initiatives and Directorate of International Projects in cooperation with Venice-Russia Association, under technical support of professional photographic laboratory «ProLab».