Iosef Ifraimovich Yusupov-Cohen is an American set designer, costume designer, painter. Iosef was an artistic director and conceptual designer for the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics. Iosef Yusupov-Cohen was born in Samarcand into a large family. He is one of five children, and the eldest son of Ifraim Cohen-Yusupov, a descendant of Moroccan-born Yosef_Maimon (Mamon) Maghribi who arrived in Bukhara from Safed and persuaded the Bukharian Jews to adopt the Sephardi liturgy. Yusupov-Cohen studied painting at the Art College of Dushanbe, Tajikistan and theater design at the State TheaterArts Academy in Saint Petersburg, Russia. He continued his post-graduate studies at the Pushkin Theater in Saint Peterburg under the supervision of the famous set designer Mart Kitaev from 1986 until 1988 After graduating Yusupov-Cohen designed sets all over Russia, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. His first major success came with the production of Oedipus Rex at the Tajik Academic Theatre of A. Lahuti. This production received prestigious State Price of the USSR for the Arts. In 1991 Yusupov-Kohen family emigrated to New York City.

• Oedipus Rex (1984,by Igor Stravinsky)- set designer, costume designer at Lakhuti theater, Dushanbe, Theatre of Nations, Moscow State Price of the USSR for the art. • GlassMenagerie (1984 by Tennessee Williams) - set designer, costume designer at Lakhuti Theatre, Dushanbe Tadjikistan. • Decining Years of Ajam -set designer, costume designer at Lakhuti theater, Dushanbe. • I am a Poor Soso Djugashvilli (1989 byViktor Korkiya) at Vurgun Theater, Baku Azerbaijan • Rats in skull(1991 by Ron Hutchinson) -set designer at 29 Repertopy Theater Co, New York • Hansel and Gretel(1991 by brothers Grimm) - set designer at Queens Theater in the Park, New York. • Oedipus Rex (1992 by Sofokl) - associate designer/collaborator, Saito Kinen Festival,World Wide Television, Matsumoto,Japan • St. Francis of Assisi (1992) - associate designer/collaborator, Sazburg Festiva,Austria • Sunset (1993 by Issak Babel) – set designer at Primary Stage Theater, New York, NY • Shpinnen un Shpinnen(1995)-set designer, costume designer at Theater for New City, NYC. • Hello America(1998 by Shalom Aleichem) - set designer at American Theater for Actors, NYC. • Nabulae (2000) - set designer at Venetian Hotel, Las Vegas • The Gamber (2001 by F. Dostoevsky) - associate designer/collaborator, Metropoitan Opera House • War and Peace (2002 by Sergei Prokofiev) - associate designer/collaborator, Metropolitan Opera House, NYC • Russian Pavilion (2002) - associate designer/collaborator, Venice Biennale, Italy • Turandot(2002 byGiacomo Puccini) - associate designer/collaborator, Bolshoi Theater, Moscow, Russia • The Ring Cycle(2002 by Richard Vagner) - associate designer/collaborator, Mariinski Theater, St. Petersburg, Russia. • Benvenuto Cellini (2003 by Hector Berlioz) -associate designer/collaborator, Metropolitan Opera House, NYC. • The Singer of His Majesty (2003) - set designer, at Queens Theater in the Park, New York. • West Side Story (2003 by Leonard Bernstein) -associate designer/collaborator, Bregenz Festival, Bregenz, Avstria • The Love for the three Oranges (2005 by Sergei Prokofiev) - associate designer/collaborator, Opera Australia, Sydney Opera House. • Mazepa ( 2004 by P. I . Tchaikovsky) - associate designer/collaborator, Metropolitan Opera House, • Magic Flute (2005 by Mozart) associate designer/collaborator, Metropolitan Opera House, NYC. • Julius Caesar (2007 by Shakespeare) - set designer, Pittsburgh, Irish and Classical Theater. • Snow Queen (2007) by Hans Christian Anderson - set designer, Pittsburgh, Play House Theater. • Machinal (2008 by Sophie Treadwell) set designer, Kasser Theater, Montclaire, New Jersey. • Playboy of the western World ( by John Synge) – set designer, Sharp Theater, Ramapo NJ • La Traviata (2009 by Geuseppe Verdi) - set designer, Connecticut Lyric Opera, New London, CT. • Shostastacovich Trilogy - associate designer/collaborator, American Ballet Theatre, New York • Winter Olympic Game Opening Ceremony(2014)- artistic director, conceptual designer, Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi, Russia. Nominated for Emmy Award 2014.

Education and Affiliations: M.F.A. - Stage Design Institute of Theater, Music and Cinematography, St. Petersburg, Russia B.F.A. - Stage Design State Art Institute, Dushanbe, Tadjikistan United Scenic Artists Local 829 (set designer/scenic artist) – Member since 1994 Exhibitions: Stage Dimensions Evans Real Estate, SOHO, New York, NY 2008 Stage Dimensions - Paintings, Set Designs, Models & Costume Designs Maurice Pine Gallery, Fair Lawn, NJ 2008 One-man Show of Paintings and Drawings for Opera and Theater Baku, Azerbaijan 2007 One-man Show of Paintings and Drawings for Opera and Theater Queens Theater in the Park, NYC 1999 Group Show Gallery As Is, Philadelphia, PA 1995 Exhibition of Theater Posters Moscow, Russia 1990 References:                        available upon request. Portfolio:                             available upon request. Publications:                     "Bilding in the Black Void". George Tsypin Opera Factory. Text by Julie Taymor and Grigory Revzin. Princeton Architectural Press. 2005.