Ernst Neizvestny: biography and best works of a genius. Unknown Ernst Iosifovich Ernst unknown biography family

The monument was erected in Odessa on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the city. The idea was born to Ernst Neizvestny back in 1944, when he visited Odessa, which had just been liberated from the Nazis. He created the sculpture in New York, and it had to be transported in parts by sea.

2. “Orpheus”, 1994

A figurine depicting the ancient Greek musician Orpheus, who plays the strings of his own soul, has become the main symbol of the All-Russian television competition TEFI. The original Orpheus is two meters high and is located in New York.

3. Monument at Khrushchev’s grave, 1995

The sculptor created the tombstone at the request of Khrushchev’s relatives, despite the fact that during his lifetime the head of state called Neizvestny’s works “degenerate art” and was generally not on the best terms with him.

4. “Tree of Life”, 2004

An unknown person conceived this sculpture in 1956, but he managed to realize the idea only 48 years later. The “branches” of the tree contain portraits of the most outstanding personalities - from Buddha to Yuri Gagarin. The monument is located in the Bagration shopping and pedestrian crossing.

5. “Prometheus and the Children of the World”, 1966

The composition is located in the Artek camp. It was based on stones that children brought from 85 different countries. Next to the relief are carved the words: “With the heart - flame, the sun - radiance, the fire - glow, children of the globe, the path of friendship, equality, brotherhood, labor, happiness will forever be illuminated!”

6. “Mask of Sorrow”, 1996

The memorial is located in Magadan, where there was a transfer point for transported prisoners - it is dedicated to the memory of the victims of political repression. Inside the monument there is a replica of a prison cell.

7. “Memory to the miners of Kuzbass”

The monument is located in the city of Kemerovo. The miner holds a burning coal, which also symbolizes a burning heart. It is interesting that the author refused a fee for this monument.

8. “Lotus Flower”, 1971

A giant stylized flower was installed at the Aswan Dam in Egypt in 1971 in honor of Soviet-Arab friendship. The height of the sculpture is 75 meters.

9. “Renaissance”, 2000

This is the first sculpture by Ernst Neizvestny installed in Moscow. It is located near the Morozov-Karpov mansion on Ordynka. Archangel Michael, who is the center of the composition, according to the author’s plan, is called upon to protect Russia from dark forces.

10. “Through the Wall,” 1988

The master brought this sculpture to Russia and the USA in 1996 as a gift to Boris Yeltsin. Ernst Neizvestny wished the president that the image of a man breaking through the wall would help him overcome the disease.

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A real drama is unfolding around the estate of the famous Russian-American sculptor Ernst Neizvestny, who died on August 9, 2016 - a lawsuit threatens the loss of his works...
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The widow and daughter of Ernst Neizvestny are suing in New York over his inheritance

A real drama is unfolding around the legacy of the famous Russian-American sculptor, who died on August 9, 2016 - a lawsuit threatens the loss of his works. The debt for the maintenance of his studio and residence in New York, where unique works are stored, is approaching 100 thousand dollars. Failure to pay threatens forced eviction, and Neizvestny’s estate and works will go under the hammer.

There are two characters in this drama. The sculptor's widow and his daughter Olga Neizvestnaya. The plot point is the struggle for inheritance.

Anna Graham- the widow of the sculptor. She is 59 years old and lives in New York. A translator by profession, she was the sculptor’s personal secretary and manager. They met in 1988; their marriage took place in 1995. Ernst is Anna Graham's second husband, and she has a daughter from her first marriage.

Olga Neizvestnaya- the only daughter of Ernst Neizvestny from his first marriage to artist Dina Mukhina, she is 60 years old. Lives in Moscow. She is engaged in fine arts and earns money, according to her, by compiling collections for private collectors. Not married, no children.

Take and share

Now about the point. Olga Neizvestnaya does not appear in her father's will. The sole executor is Anna Graham. But the will itself exists only in the form of a copy. The original, according to Anna, burned down in 1998 during a fire in her and Ernst’s apartment on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village, after which they settled in a loft on Grand Street in SoHo.

Olga Neizvestnaya claims half of the inheritance. A statement to this effect from her lawyer, Victoria Beress of the law firm of Beress & Zalkind, was filed in the New York State Surrogate's Court. This is an unusual name for the Russian ear for the inheritance court in this state. He considers disputes on this part, in particular, verifies the authenticity of wills and the legality of the distribution of bequeathed property.

What do the two women closest to the Unknown share? His sculptural legacy consists of about 100 original works, housed in a loft studio on Grand Street and at his country home in and around Shelter Island Sculpture Park. In the loft there are several huge, about 5 meters, plaster totems. Many have seen them in photographs of the master or in documentaries about him. According to the will, they must be cast once. And dozens of canvases, graphic sheets and albums with drawings (this does not include the works of Neizvestny, which were installed in different years in dozens of cities around the world and are stored in many museums and private collections).

In a statement to the court, lawyer Buress demands that Anna Graham be prohibited from any actions with the artistic works of the deceased until the court decides on a fair division of the inheritance. To determine the legality of a copy of the will, it is supposed to interview witnesses who can shed light on the circumstances of its preparation and confirm or challenge its legal validity.

Blaming Syndrome

Olga Neizvestnaya, who visits the United States very rarely, appointed Andrei Rylov, the sculptor’s nephew, the son of his younger sister, Lyudmila Iosifovna, as her representative in court cases in New York. They both live in Brooklyn.

An affidavit from Andrei Rylov is attached to the lawyer's application. For the uninformed, let us explain: this is a written statement of a person acting as a witness, given under oath and certified by a notary.

It was this document that caused an extremely painful and violent reaction from both Anna herself and close friends of the House of Unknowns. Here, in a condensed form, are Mr. Rylov’s claims. To save space, I omit the words “allegedly” and “presumably”; they are implied.

According to him, Anna Graham showed disrespect for her deceased husband, disregard for his rights, health and well-being, and disrespect for his only daughter, Olga. Used the sale of his works to finance her luxurious lifestyle and personal gain.

The deceased more than once complained to Rylov that Anna verbally insulted him and resorted to assault. He personally heard her “saying bad things about him.”

When Ernst had brain surgery, Olga sat by his bedside day and night, and Anna stopped by for a while. Moreover, after the operation, she hit him on the head with a water bottle, he complained to Rylov of severe pain and despair.

Ernst confidentially told Rylov that he would like to divorce Graham, but he is afraid of her and does not want unpleasant publicity. Anna kicked Olga out of the Shelter Island house without explanation and claimed that the house was her property.

How did a fragile, graceful woman manage to so intimidate a powerful creator, a fearless front-line soldier, who gave a daring rebuff to Khrushchev himself? When I, as a person who had known this family for more than 20 years, expressed some doubts to Andrey about his statements, he said that Ernst, it turns out, had “Stockholm syndrome.” “When they get hit, they love it,” he noted with a grin.

To the grave accusations of his affidavit, Rylov added one more reproach against the widow: he had to wait a long time to say goodbye to his late uncle. It turns out that Anna was late, went to buy a dress for the funeral, and without her they were not allowed into the farewell hall.

I was going to call Andrei’s mother, Lyudmila Iosifovna, but he asked me not to disturb her. “Mom is 83 years old, she is very worried and has mental problems.”

But I couldn’t help but call Olga Neizvestnaya.

“I tried to reach an agreement with Anna without going to trial, but she didn’t offer me a single job,” she said. - I lived on Shelter, and Anna showed me the door several times. She always said that this was her home. I understood that she was in a serious, unhealthy condition. The lawyer negotiated with her, not me. I left my power of attorney to Andrey, I didn’t read his affidavit, this is the first time I’ve heard these details. When Anya came to Moscow, she did not contact me. I called her myself, but she said she was busy. I only have three of my father's works on the shelf. Nothing else. They often tell me that they want to buy my father’s works, but I answer: they are all in America. It's a shame: Siddur is presented at an exhibition at the Pushkin [Museum], but the pope is not there. I don’t know many things because I live in Moscow. But I understand that Anna wants to be the absolute owner. She believes that everything should be hers. I live much more modestly than Anna. Andrey is trying to stand up for something for me. They reproach me that dad is not buried in Russia. As far as I know from Anna, he wanted to be buried in America.” (Ernst Neizvestny is buried on Shelter Island.).

“Why does Olga Neizvestnaya not agree with the copy of the will and does not intend to recognize it?” I asked this question to Olga’s lawyer, Victoria Beress.

“The law on this issue gives a clear answer: if the original will is destroyed, it will be revoked,” the lawyer wrote in an e-mail. - Therefore, the courts do not accept copies of the will when deciding issues of inheritance. Ernst Neizvestny, therefore, died without a will and, according to the relevant statute in force in the State of New York, his two heirs should receive an equal share of the inheritance."

Medicine and life

People who knew the Unknown spouses closely rushed to defend Anna. Apart from herself, perhaps the closest to the master was the Georgian immigrant Tamari Labadze, whom everyone affectionately calls Tamriko. Since January 2011, she worked him around the clock caretaker, that is, she performed the widest range of duties - from a nurse to a housekeeper. Seriously ill Ernst Iosifovich needed every minute help.

In her affidavit, Tamriko gives examples of Anna's dedication and devotion to Ernst. When doctors said that only neurosurgery could save him, but the chances of a successful outcome were only 3 percent, Anna took a risk, entrusting her husband’s fate to highly qualified neurosurgeons. Operation was successfully completed. And after a long rehabilitation in another hospital, Ernst returned home, and not to a nursing home, as Anna was offered. She categorically refused this, although, in fairness, I note that in America this is normal practice. Senators and celebrities place their parents who require constant care in such institutions.

“Days and nights,” as Tamriko testifies, “Anna and I were relentless [with Ernst Neizvestny], hoping for the best and praying to the Almighty.” “From the first day, I saw only love and mutual respect between Ernst and Anna,” she continues. - Anna truly loved him, surrounded him with care and devoted her whole life to him and his art. She was the only one in charge of all affairs, solving all medical and financial problems. None of the family members have offered any help over the years. There was always not enough money, I saw this, as well as the fact that all the problems fell on Anna’s shoulders. A year and three months after Ernst’s death, she continues to incur large expenses to maintain the entire household, including a loft in SoHo and a house on Shelter Island.”

Nephew vs nephew

“I am horrified by the slanderous attack on Anna Graham by Andrei Rylov,” writes Michael Lifson, another nephew of Neizvestny, by the third marriage of his sister, Lyudmila Iosifovna, in his affidavit. “I’ve known Rylov for more than 30 years, and I’m shocked...”

Here are Lifson's main points.

First. The deceased was a war hero and was never afraid of anyone. An indestructible will and a sharp mind were characteristic of him until his last day. To suggest that he was “afraid” of his wife is not only disrespectful to his memory, but also absurd.

Second. Ernst transferred all housekeeping and management responsibilities to Anna, focusing exclusively on creativity. All his connections with the outside world, correspondence and much more are the sphere of her daily work for more than 25 years. Lifson dismisses allegations of assault with indignation.

There is other evidence. Half of New York knows Roman Kaplan. The former co-owner of the legendary restaurant “Russian Samovar” was friends with Ernst and Anna, they loved to go there and celebrated birthdays and other pleasant events more than once.

Kaplan reacted quite emotionally to Andrei Rylov’s statements. “This is meanness! When you live with a person for two or three decades, anything is possible, including quarrels. The dear ones scold, you know... Anya has a difficult character, she is a rather harsh woman. If there were big disagreements, they would split up. But I know for sure: Anna pulled him out of several critical situations with Ernst’s health and nursed him back to health. She was there during the most difficult years of his life. I’m 80 years old and I know what it’s like.”

When I mentioned the accusations of extravagance, Kaplan exploded: “Oh, oh, oh, a luxurious lifestyle! Lies! Yes, they had money for the most basic things. But is this luxury?! They lived very modestly."

Margaret Klevins worked in the gallery where the works of Unknown were exhibited. She currently works as a manager at Bank of America. Not without pride, she writes that she became an expert in the work of the Russian sculptor and successfully sold his works. For ten years she was his manager and taught Anna Graham the intricacies of selling works of art.

“Of course he chose a beautiful, young, sophisticated woman with good taste, because he is, after all, the Unknown,” notes Margaret Klevins.

“...He was fascinated by Anna’s charm, wit, intelligence and style,” writes one of his biographers, Professor Albert Leong, in his book about the Unknown, published in 2002. “She had class: she knew how to dress and remain herself in conversations with Ernst’s influential friends and colleagues. Ernst's strong will, loving nature and self-confidence earned him respect. She returned order and harmony to his life. For the first time, the artist felt the warmth, security and comfort of a real family... She took care of his health and made sure that he got enough rest. After he recovered from heart surgery, Anna insisted that he stop drinking strong drinks and allowed him to drink little and only wine.”

Artist Jeff Blumis met Neizvestny in 1982, they communicated closely - friendly and on business, until the master's death. Most of the bronze castings of his sculptures were and are made in Jeff's foundry in the mountains near New York, which he called "The Tree of Life" in honor of the main work of the Unknown. Jeff was a witness at Ernst's wedding to Anna, and when he got married, Ernst became his best man.

“Since 1996, Anna managed all of Ernst’s affairs, negotiated all contracts, and corresponded with dealers, clients, museums and galleries around the world,” Jeff Blumis writes in his affidavit. - In my opinion, without Anna he would not have been able to work so fruitfully and would not have lived so long at all. He maintained his strength, energy and sound mind until his last day, and Anna was an integral part of his life. His love and muse, she admired him, and he reciprocated her feelings. His passing is a great loss for us, but especially for Anna, who continues to bear the burden of responsibility for preserving his legacy.”

Solomon's solution

Anna Graham is outraged by the accusations and claims of Andrei Rylov and Olga Neizvestnaya.

“Their goal is to drag me through the mud,” says Anna. - But what will this give? Ernst's legacy includes two pieces of real estate containing his works, as well as 25 of his bronzes in the sculpture park on Shelter Island. Before dividing anything, you need to pay for everything, new bills arrive every month. Did any of Ernst’s relatives offer me at least a dollar? The debt on the SoHo workshop is approaching $100,000. Another couple of months of non-payment and a foreclosure will occur [forced eviction from the house or apartment of a person who owes money to the bank]. And then everything will go under the hammer. And six gypsum totems will be sawed up and taken to a landfill, and they will take a lot of money for it.

Olga and Andrey probably think that I hid millions somewhere. They don't even understand how dire the situation is. When Ernst died, we only had $3,500 in our account. I was forced to sell the apartment of my deceased parents and the portrait of my mother by Vladimir Weisberg, and spent almost 300 thousand dollars received on keeping our common household afloat and on Eric’s funeral. Therefore, it’s wild for me to hear about my personal gain and luxurious life. I have nothing to hide. I told Olga more than once: come, let’s talk, explain what you want. By the way, over the past 9 years she has chosen her father’s original drawings, and he gave her 15 lithographs and 25 etchings, their total value is 250 thousand dollars. “I’m ready to sit down with her at the negotiating table, but only in the presence of lawyers and by a court decision.”

I asked Olga Neizvestnaya's lawyer, Victoria Beress, about the alleged ban on selling Neizvestny's works and Anna Graham's possible actions.

“All of Unknown’s property, including works of art, is included in his inheritance,” the lawyer wrote to me. - The assets included in the inheritance should not be a source of support for Mrs. Graham's life. Until the parties reach a settlement regarding the estate, Ms. Graham should not use any of the assets in the estate as they do not belong to her. Only after her share of the inheritance has been determined can she decide how to dispose of this property.”

It turns out that you can’t sell your inheritance, but you have to pay bills for its maintenance? How is this possible?

Expert opinion Margaret Klevins: “I know that if Anna cannot pay the debt on the studio on Grand Street and on the house on Shelter, she faces foreclosure. Then the entire property will be put up for sale. The collection of works by Unknown will be lost... "

Michael Lifson (remember, the master’s second nephew) also believes that attempts to divide the legacy of the Unknown, to tear it apart will lead to its complete loss. “Anna is the only one who can save the legacy,” Lifeson concludes.

Jeff Blumis (he was involved in the casting of Neizvestny’s works) flew to Yekaterinburg for the opening of “Masks of Sorrow.” “The situation is terrible,” he told me over the phone from Yekaterinburg. - Ernst and Anna, of course, did not plan it. There is a game going on to destroy Anna, and therefore Ernst’s legacy. As for Olga’s claims, for the last 9 years, at Ernst’s request, I have been casting small bronzes for her and sending them to her in Moscow. So now I’ve brought three bronze castings for her. And Anna gave me the circulation numbers of the sculptures, as always.”

Unlike the well-known parable about King Solomon, two mothers and a baby, in this conflict the threat to cut a living organism can most likely be realized. The letter of the law will prevail. By that time, only ruins may remain of the master’s legacy.

He went through the horrors of war, experienced the disfavor of the authorities and was forced to leave his homeland. Ernst Neizvestny created monumental works that today can be seen in different countries of the world - in Russia and Ukraine, the USA and Egypt, Sweden and the Vatican.

Order of the Patriotic War "posthumously"

Ernst Neizvestny was born in Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg) in the family of the doctor Joseph Neizvestny and the poetess Bella Dijour. In his childhood and youth, he had to hide his origins, since his father was a White Guard, and his grandfather, Moisei Neizvestnov, was once a wealthy merchant.

My father’s generation, and I, too, when I was young, lived in a complete lie. Even in the family they tried to hide their origins. And it turns out that our last name is not Neizvestny, but Neizvestnov. Father changed the last two letters, being a wise man, and, as I understand now, these two letters, in general, saved us.
Ernst Neizvestny

As a schoolboy, Neizvestny participated in All-Union children's creativity competitions. And in 1939 he entered the Leningrad Art School at the Academy of Arts. The school was evacuated to Samarkand, from here the young sculptor, despite poor health, volunteered for the army.

During the fighting, he was seriously wounded - his colleagues even thought that he had died. But in the basement where the bodies were kept before burial, the Unknown came to his senses: the wound turned out to be non-fatal. However, Ernst Neizvestny was mistakenly awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, II degree, posthumously. After being wounded, he could hardly walk on crutches and could not sculpt for more than a year. For some time after the war, he taught drawing at a military school in Sverdlovsk.

High relief “Yakov Sverdlov calls the Ural workers to an armed uprising” (fragment). Sculptor Ernst Neizvestny. 1953. Photo: proza.ru

Sculpture “Yakov Sverdlov introduces Lenin and Stalin.” Sculptor Ernst Neizvestny. 1953. Photo: Tatyana Andreeva / rg.ru

In 1946, Ernst Neizvestny entered the Academy of Arts in Riga, and a year later he immediately entered the Moscow Art Institute named after V.I. Surikov and to the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov. The works of student Neizvestny became museum exhibits during his studies. In his third year, he made the sculpture “Yakov Sverdlov introduces Lenin and Stalin” and the high relief “Yakov Sverdlov calls the Ural workers to an armed uprising” for the Sverdlovsk Museum. And Ernst Neizvestny’s diploma work - the sculpture “Kremlin Builder Fyodor the Horse” - was bought by the Russian Museum.

Already in these years, the first problems with censors appeared: experimental and unofficial things had to be hidden.

Disagreements with socialist realism at the institute arose primarily among front-line soldiers. Many of these young people were even communists, but their experiences, their life experiences did not correspond to the smooth writing of socialist realism. We fell out of the generally accepted not theoretically, but existentially; we needed other means of expression. I was destined to be one of the first, but far from the only one.
Ernst Neizvestny

The sculptor was criticized by newspapers, they talked to him “in their offices” and even beat him on the street. However, his fellow artists supported him, and in 1955 Neizvestny became a member of the Moscow branch of the Union of Artists.

Memorial monument for Nikita Khrushchev

In the late 1950s - early 1960s, Neizvestny created the cycle “This is War” and “Robots and Semi-Robots”, sculptural compositions “Atomic Explosion”, “Effort”, other sculptures, graphic and painting works. In 1957, Ernst Neizvestny participated in the VI World Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow and won all three medals. He was forced to refuse the gold medal for the sculpture “Earth”.

Composition “Atomic Explosion”. Sculptor Ernst Neizvestny. 1957. Photo: uole-museum.ru

Monument to Nikita Khrushchev at the Novodevichy cemetery. Sculptor Ernst Neizvestny. 1975. Photo: enacademic.com

When an international competition for a monument over the Aswan Dam was announced, I sent my project through different channels, so that they would not know that it was me. Packages are opened. The Soviet representatives are falling like bowling pins: an undesirable character has won first place. But there is nothing left to do, since the world press is printing my name. It also appears in Pravda. Our architects rushed into this gap and quietly gave me a lot of orders.
Ernst Neizvestny

In 1974, Neizvestny prepared wall decor for the library of the Moscow Institute of Electronic Technology. The authorities allocated little money; ill-wishers hoped that the sculptor would refuse. But Neizvestny saved money: he did not give his sketch to the plant, as many sculptors did, but made the bas-relief with his own hands. And again a record was set: the area of the bas-relief “The Formation of Homo Sapiens” was 970 square meters. In those years, it became the largest bas-relief created indoors in the country.

Neizvestny's last project on the territory of the Soviet Union was a bas-relief on the building of the Central Committee of the Communist Party in Ashgabat.

Unknown in exile

In 1976, Neizvestny left the Soviet Union. His wife, ceramic artist Dina Mukhina, and her daughter Olga did not go with him.

In the USSR I could do big official things, use my formal techniques, but I could not do what I wanted. I reminded myself of an actor who has dreamed of playing Hamlet all his life, but he was not given the chance, and only when he got old and wanted to play King Lear, he was offered the role of Hamlet. Formally it was a victory, but internally it was a defeat.
Ernst Neizvestny

He was already known abroad - before emigrating, the sculptor held his personal exhibitions in Europe. The first country where the sculptor moved was Switzerland. Neizvestny lived in Zurich for less than a year, then moved to New York. There he was elected to the New York Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1986 he became a member of the Swedish Academy of Sciences and later of the European Academy of Sciences, Arts and Humanities. In the USA, Neizvestny lectured on culture and philosophy at Columbia and Oregon universities, as well as at the University of California at Berkeley. He knew representatives of the American elite - Andy Warhol, Henry Kissinger, Arthur Miller.

Drawing from the “Capriccio” series. Ernst Neizvestny. Photo: Anton Butsenko / ITAR-TASS

Memorial "Mask of Sorrow". Sculptor Ernst Neizvestny. 1996. Photo: svopi.ru

During the first years of emigration, Neizvestny sculpted the head of Dmitri Shostakovich for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. Several times his exhibitions were held at the Magna Gallery in San Francisco. At the request of this exhibition center, Neizvestny completed the cycle “Man through the Wall”. His works were also exhibited in Sweden: a museum of sculptures of the Unknown was opened in Wattersberg in 1987. Several crucifixes designed by Neizvestny were purchased for the Vatican Museum by Pope John Paul II.

Since the early 1990s, Ernst Neizvestny began to visit Russia frequently. In 1994, the sculptor created a sketch of the country's main television award - “TEFI”. The figurine represents a character from ancient Greek mythology - Orpheus, playing on the strings of his soul. A year later, the first monument to the Unknown in the post-Soviet space, the “Golden Child,” was installed at the Marine Station in Odessa in Ukraine. In 1996, the monument “Exodus and Return” was opened in Elista, dedicated to the deportation of the Kalmyk people to Siberia. At the same time, the “Mask of Sorrow” memorial was opened in memory of the victims of political repression in Magadan. Later, a monument “In Memory of the Kuzbass Miners” appeared in Kemerovo. The general shape, tree crown shape and heart shape were decided. Thus, it was as if I saw at night a super task that reconciled me with my real fate and gave me, albeit fictitious, a model that made it possible to work to nowhere, but for a single goal.

Ernst Neizvestny

In “Bagration” a glass dome was erected over the “Tree” - also according to the sketch of Neizvestny. In the structure of the “Tree of Life” you can see Mobius loops, faces of historical figures, and religious symbols.

In 2007, the sculptor completed his last monumental work - a bronze figure of Sergei Diaghilev. It was installed in the family home of the impresario in Perm.

In the last years of his life, Neizvestny was seriously ill, almost blind and did not work, but from time to time he sketched his ideas on whatman paper using a special optical device. Ernst Neizvestny was buried in the city cemetery of Shelter Island in the USA.

Ernst Neizvestny. He left us in August 2016. He left world famous, despite his last name.

A man whose life motto “Don’t give in: to anyone - nothing - never” was respected by friends and enemies. An artist with a stormy, rich biography: war (2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts, storming of Budapest, severe wound at the end of the war in Austria); leadership in the artistic life of the “sixties”, the famous exhibition in the Manege “30 years of the Moscow Union of Artists”, destroyed by Nikita Khrushchev, difficult relations with the Soviet state and predictable emigration in the wake of the 70s.

An artist of powerful talent, who declared himself during his apprenticeship years: Neizvestny’s student works were acquired by the Tretyakov Gallery and the Russian Museum, and were praised by Picasso and Renato Guttuso.

A sculptor who has gone from the work “Yakov Sverdlov introduces Lenin and Stalin” for a museum in his native Sverdlovsk to monumental sculptures-metaphors that have decorated many cities around the world. They stand in the Netherlands, on the Aswan Dam in Egypt, at one of the Polish monasteries, in the art museum in front of the UN building in New York, in the Vatican and the Unknown Sculpture Museum in Uttersberg, Sweden. His sculptures embodied the terrible misfortunes of the 20th century: the Holocaust, deportation of peoples, Stalinist political repressions (Unknown put his “Mask of Sorrow” not just anywhere, but in Magadan). He managed to “complete” his conversation with Khrushchev by creating a tombstone for him on Novodevichy...

The master considered the composition “Tree of Life” to be his main work, on which he worked from 1956 to 2003. and which he gave to Moscow. This is a kind of sculptural history of all humanity, which reads like a book. It included all the images created by the Unknown before: Prometheus, the crucifixion, the Mother of God, Archangel Michael, portraits of Buddha and Yuri Gagarin, the plot of expulsion from paradise and much more...

His work combines power, subtle intellect and philosophical generalization. Neizvestny completed his professional art education at the Surikov Institute with the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University. His idol was Leonardo da Vinci, a kindred spirit of the Renaissance titan, artist, inventor, philosopher.

Recognized all over the world (professor at major US universities and member of the Academies of Sciences in Sweden, New York, and Europe), Ernst Neizvestny felt (and was!) part of Russian culture until the last moment. He gave more than one monument to the new Russia. Here Neizvestny was elected an honorary foreign member of the Russian Academy of Arts. A resident of New York since 1977, Neizvestny celebrated his 80th birthday in Russia.

To the military awards - the medal "For Courage" and the Order of the Red Star in the 90s, the medal "For Participation in the Great Patriotic War", the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" III degree and the "Badge of Honor" were added.

Neizvestny was also the author of the popular song “Battalion Scout” and the bronze figurine of Orpheus - the main prize of the All-Russian television competition TEFI, which is awarded to distinguished television journalists every year. “Orpheus” by the Unknown is a symbol of a person’s struggle with difficult life obstacles...

The world-famous sculptor is connected with Novgorod by the history of a failed project.

On October 1, 1996, at the invitation of the management of Acron JSC, Ernst Neizvestny arrived in Novgorod on a charter flight of the private airline Orel. The purpose of the one-day business visit was negotiations on the installation in Novgorod of the monument to the Archangel Michael, which Neizvestny specially designed for the ancient city.

Probably, the great sculptor considered it appropriate to have here the image of the leader of the heavenly holy army, who miraculously saved Novgorod from the invasion of the troops of Batu Khan in 1239. There is no doubt that the highly educated Unknown was certainly familiar with the text of the Volokolamsk patericon of the 16th century, which tells how God and the Mother of God protected the city with the appearance of Archangel Michael, who forbade Batu to go to Novgorod. And the words of Batu upon seeing the Kyiv fresco with the image of Michael: “This is why I chose to go to Veliky Novgorod.”

In an interview with local media, E. Neizvestny emphasized that he has many orders in Russia and abroad, but “Novgorod is such a historical pearl that when the opportunity to work here presented itself, I simply could not refuse...” The sculptor got acquainted with the sights of the city in order to decide on the location of the monument. A discussion of the graphic image (fore-sketch) of the sculpture took place at the level of the regional governor M. Prusak with the participation of architects, historians, employees of the museum-reserve, and artists. Despite the fact that the work of a world-famous master would do honor to any city, Novgorod specialists and the cultural community expressed a clear objection to the 20-meter monument. The main argument was concern about the distortion of the historical environment of Novgorod and the violation of the architectural and urban planning tradition, according to which the main dominant feature is the St. Sophia Cathedral. To the credit of E. Neizvestny, he agreed with the arguments, saying that Novgorod is a special place and the trip to the ancient city gave him a different understanding of it. Then, in 1996, the parties agreed to take a time out. The monument to Archangel Michael in Novgorod never took place...

However… The soaring Archangel Michael with a sword (composition by E. Neizvestny “Renaissance”) stood in April 2000 in Moscow, on Ordynka, near the former mansion of the industrialist Morozov.

References for the article:

Visit of the Unknown // Novgorod Gazette. - 1996. - October 2.
. Guest of Novgorod // Novgorod. - 1996. - Oct 3. (No. 40).
. Vladimirov M. What is known about the visit of the Unknown, or does Novgorod need the Archangel Michael? // Novgorod Gazette. - 1996. - Oct 4.
. Zborovsky K. Lords of Veliky Novgorod // Profile. - 2000. - July.