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Rudolph Nureyev, 1970

Jack Mitchell photographed Rudolph Nureyev many times, beginning in 1959 just after the ballet dancer's defection from Russia. The photograph above was taken on the outdoor porch of Monique Van Vooren's Manhattan apartment. In the film Mitchell tells the amusing story of the 1975 Christmas Day session in his studio for After Dark magazine - the only session where he got Nureyev to smile. A lasting personality conflict between Mitchell and Nureyev resulted in wonderfully arrogant or angry expressions that only add to the power of the photographs.

- Craig B. Highberger