Ellen von Unwerth // The Story of Olga

A transgressive, irresistible fantasy like you’ve never seen before, The Story of Olga is a follow up to the 2008 smash hit The Book of Olga, which featured explicit portraits of a glamorous Moscovite beauty Olga Rodionova, commissioned by her millionaire oligarch husband.

In The Story of Olga, the Russian heiress teams up with Ellen von Unwerth to create a photographic narrative tracing the journey of the young widow after the death of her wealthy, elderly husband. Overtaken by an insatiable lust, Olga searches for love only to find it in the arms of an unlikely source, far from the riches and extravagance to which she is accustomed. It is Olga’s quest that makes this fairy tale highly untraditional: she is a heroine who is not afraid of her lust, and it is her sensuality that leads her to the happy ending she so desires.

Von Unwerth’s team of artists on this project include London-born Anna Trevelyan, a young stylist who creates a unique and eye-catching style that is dark, beautiful, provocative, and sexually charged; and French master set designer and prop stylist extraordinaire Fabienne Eisenstein, who is responsible for creating the pagan rituals and extravagant dinner scenes. Set in a glorious château, replete with all the trappings of wealth and glamour, this collaboration brings to life the enviable luxury of both fairy tales and modern desire.