A controversial exhibition showing Russian celebrities appear in some of the world’s most renowned paintings has opened in Moscow. Acclaimed photographer Ekaterina Rozhdestvenskaya’s display ‘Private Collection’ superimposes the images of famous faces ont

One example is of the Eurovision winner, Russian pop-singer Dima Bilan, who was transformed into a French diplomat in a reworking of Hans Holbein’s ‘The Ambassadors’.  

She says there is no particular philosophy behind her work. However, her creations have been praised by many professional experts in both the fields of art and photography.

But there have also been many critical reviews on Rozhdestvenskaya's project, saying her work is a vulgar combination of pop culture and genuine art.

But the photographer says: “I don't pay much attention to it, because I enjoy what I'm doing. I love my job, and I don't care about any judgments.”

Rozhdestvenskaya started to form the collection in the late 1990s. Since then she has put about 3000 actors, singers and politicians into paintings by top artists.

Daughter of a famous Russian poet, Robert Rozhdestvensky, Ekaterina is not a professional photographer. She specialises in translating literature, and first started taking photography seriously at the age of 40.

“I was languishing from idleness. I just had nothing to do. I started inventing, and I invented this project,” she recalls.