Beautiful: Alex Bégo | From Russia with Love

BeautifulMag Covers

Notes

(c) BeautifulMagTM 2005 – 2011. BeautifulMag is the trademark of BeautifulMedia. All rights reserved. Use of this web site is subject to terms and conditions of use. Your continued use of this web site is deemed acceptance of these terms. You may display this web site on your computer device for your own personal use only. Republishing or retransmitting or any other use (electronic or otherwise) of any of the content of this web site without the prior written consent of BeautifulMedia is strictly forbidden. BeautifulMedia respects other parties copyright. If you believe that any of our content infringes on your copyright please contact us immediately.

OK I ADMIT, THAT WAS AN EASY ONE. BUT IN ALEX BÉGO’S CASE, THIS TITLE PROBABLY COULDN’T BE MORE APPROPRIATE. WHY? THAT WE WILL EXPLAIN IN TODAY’S STORY. OR AT LEAST, LET ME SAY, TRY TO EXPLAIN. BECAUSE ALEX’ STORY IS A LONG ONE TO TELL. ONE THAT PROBABLY TAKES MORE THAN ONE EPISODE. SEEING WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE TABLE THOUGH, THIS IS NOT SOMETHING WE WILL REGRET.
Alex Bégo is probably one of the most prominent art photographers in Russia today. Together with his team – art director Nikita, hair stylist Serge Klimov and make-up artist Vika Ivanova – he goes for nothing less than perfection. And that shows. Alex Bégo’s passion is photography of people and he does it with flair. But there is much more to the handsome, muscled Russian artist than only photography.
In the 18th century, the Bégo family emigrated from Russia to France, where they built a wealthy life for themselves, founding a network of bakeries. Things were going well, despite dramatic changes in the history of their home country. Until in the 1930’s, new Sovjet Union leader Joseph Stalin called back former emigrants to what he called the greatest nation on Earth. The Bégo’s answered the call and moved back to their ancestral country, ending up living their live under a regime they could never have imagined to experience.
Alex Bégo was born in Pyatigorsk, a city in Stavropol Krai on the Podkumok River. It might have to do with his families good background, but Alex was given the opportunity to move to Paris to study under the protection of the French Embassy. Once in the West, Alex found a way to make the best out of it. From Paris he moved to London, and from London to Geneva. And after the completion of his studies, fate took Alex on other, even more exotic trips. For the next 15 years Alex traveled through Asia, living in India, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan, Papua New Guinea, and Sri Lanka, being involved in many humanitarian projects. In Sri Lanka Alex lived through the devastating tsunami, seeing how this natural disaster took the lives of many of his friends and colleagues. Alex eventually ended up living in Colombo when administrative reasons forced him to return to his country of origin. Once back in Russia, he decided to stay a week longer, then two, than a month… and finally Alex found back his roots in the country of his origin. After many years of traveling, Alex Bégo fell in love again with Russia.

At age 40, Alex Bégo has seen many things in his life, which had made him a pioneer in the things he does. After a corporate life, Alex decided to put all his efforts in photography and film production. He tried to enter the Film Institute and was rejected… twice. First because even though he passed all examens his work failed. Second because the committee thought his work was actually so good he would be better of teaching. Today, Alex Bégo is one of the most famous professional photographers in Russia. And where for most people, photography is an escape from the every day problems and disasters we experience in daily life. For Alex Bégo it is a path to understanding. –BM-

ALEX BÉGO | BEAUTIFULMAG