Alexander Vertinsky was a Russian cabaret singer, poet, and actor, and one of the most prominent performers of the first half of the 20th century. He was born on March 21, 1889, in Kyiv. Orphaned at an early age, he was raised by relatives. He attended gymnasium but did not complete his studies. From a young age he was drawn to the theatre, performed in amateur productions, and wrote reviews and short stories. In the early 1910s, he moved to Moscow, where he appeared in small theatres and studios and acted in silent films. During the First World War, he served as a medical orderly at the front. He gained wide popularity with his original stage act “Pierrot’s Songs”, in which he performed his own poetry set to music, appearing in the costume of Pierrot. After the Revolution, he left Russia and emigrated in 1920. He lived and toured in Turkey, Poland, Germany, France, the United States, and China. He spent nearly ten years in Paris, where he wrote many of his best-known songs. While abroad, he performed for Russian émigré communities and collaborated with foreign record companies. In 1943, he returned to the USSR. He toured extensively across the country, giving thousands of concerts, including performances for soldiers during the war. In the 1950s, he appeared in several films, including “Anna on the Neck” and “The Conspiracy of the Doomed”. The Bakhrushin Theatre Museum collection includes photographs of Vertinsky, including images of him as Pierrot, gramophone records, excerpts from his books, and other materials related to his life and career.