Alexandra Ekster was an avant-garde artist, graphic designer, and theater actor. She was born in Belostok, Grodno province, in the family of officer A. Grigorovich. After graduating from the Kiev gymnasium she studied at the Kiev art school. In 1907 she lived in Paris and studied at the Academy Grande Chaumière. From 1908 to 1914 she lived in Kiev, Moscow, St Petersburg and Paris. She participated in the most avant-garde exhibitions in Russia and was a member of the association "Jack of diamonds" and "Union of youth". As a theater artist, she designed performances for the Chamber theatre, including "Famira kifared", "Salome", "Romeo and Juliet". She refused accurate reconstruction of historical clothing and created her own images of the era. Innovative ideas of Exter included the unity of form, color, light and movement in the action of the play, which had a significant influence on the development of Soviet scenography. In 1921-1922 she worked on sets and costumes for performances of the Moscow Art theatre "the Death of Tarelkin", "Sideshow" of Cervantes, "the Lady Wordsmith" (not implemented). In 1922 at the State theatre of Comedy and Drama was staged premiere performance of "Tovarishh Hlestakov" in her design. After the revolution, she taught in studios of Odessa and Kiev, as well as at VKhUTEMAS. In the 1920s she created artworks for the exhibition halls, posters, advertising, fabric modeling, and clothing design. In 1924 the premiere of the film "Aelita" was staged for which she designed costumes and headdresses. Since late 1924, she lived in Paris where she designed interiors and performances, illustrated books and albums, taught, and created author's manuscript books and objects of applied art. As a designer, she worked with Nijinsky B. in London (1925), E. Kruger in Germany (the late 1920s).