Count Dimitri Tolstoï
Born in France, Neuilly / Seine, 1959, son of Count Serge Tolstoy and Colette Deloffre, great grandson of writer Leon Tolstoy. He was brought up in the Russian tradition and was surrounded from a young age by the artistic and literary community of which his parents were part.
In his early youth, perhaps by atavism, Dimitri often used the chamber camera that belonged to his great grandmother, Sophie Tolstoy. It is when he discovered photography through the realization of portraits of artists and aristocrats of the exiled Russian community in Paris.
At the age of twelve he built, with the help of his father, a black and white photo lab, the precocious promise of a burgeoning passion.
After graduating from the Janson de Sailly Lycee in Paris, Tolstoy went on to continue his studies at the Institut des Langues Orientales in Paris. Once his military service completed in the service of the official photography of the French army, he decides to turn his passion into a career.
His personal portfolio with high quality works combined with his unmitigated motivation landed him a job as first assistant to one of the most popular photographers on the French market. Under his tutelage, Tolstoy was able to obtain a vast technical knowledge and that particular attention to detail that defines a great “still life” photographer.
At the young age of 26, Tolstoy was able to take a place among the active working photographers in Paris and acquired his first studio. Within weeks he had the same demand as his mentor and was consecrated inside the advertising industry for his great talent. His comprehensive knowledge of photographical technique comes second to his keen sensibility. His trained eye always takes into consideration his clients desires, understanding their needs and bringing to the subject at hand his own personal creativity and aesthetic.
The success of his advertising campaigns quickly brought about a certain reputation that is known throughout Paris. The quality of his work and his clientele satisfaction rate allow him to work for the biggest names in the advertising industry: Céline, Longchamp, Perrier, Renault, Peugeot, Biotherm, Héléna Rubinstein, Nivéa, Baccarat, Lancôme, Air France, Pioneer, Guerlain, Dom Pérignon, Van Cleef, Chaumet, Le Bon Marché,Kenzo.
Tolstoy has been rewarded several times over with the French Art Director Club Prize.
Tolstoy’s passion does not live only in the domain of advertising photography, portrait and travel photography but also has a place in his heart. As he remarked at the reward ceremony of the Art Director club of which he is a member of the jury:
“The poetic reality of such subjects, through their simplicity, gives to the artist an occasion to surpass himself by calling upon all of his sensorial, aesthetic, and intellectual faculties. With regard to portrait, it’s success depends of the extreme grace of the artist. Much more than capturing a resemblance, it’s all about capturing the personality of one’s subject, getting a glimpse into his soul. What interest me more is how in a precise ephemeral moment of complicity, through an expression or an attitude, almost without his knowledge, the person is able to deliver his real self. Being able to capture that is a great instant of photographic “success”. Once the film is developed, the emotion remains and that is what most impact the spectator.”