- Gleb W. Derujinsky
Gleb W. Derujinsky (
August 13 ,1888 –March 9 ,1975 ) was a Russian-American sculptor.Born in
Smolensk ,Russia , he was related toNikolai Rimsky-Korsakov on his father's side and the painterMikhail Vrubel on his mother's. He completed his law degree at the University of Petrograd to meet his father's expectations, but devoted his entire life to sculpture.His artistic studies began in the years 1906 — 1911 at the Drawing School at the Society for Encouragement of Arts in
St.Petersburg , his teacher being sculptorI.I.Andreoletti , the talented pedagogue and professor at the Academy of Arts. Having finally decided in favour of the art as his life-work, Derujinsky moved toParis in 1912, where he continued his studies at theColarossi School of Art and at theAcademie Julien , where he was befriended by Rodin.He returned to
Saint Petersburg in 1913 and continued his studies at theImperial Academy of Arts , Sculpture department, where he received seven first prizes, the first to receive this distinction and was nominated for thePrix de Rome . He participated in the Academy exhibitions and those organized by the Society for the traveling art exhibitions (Peredvizhniki ), and others. In 1918 he graduated from the Academy and emigrated to theUnited States in 1919.His original sculptures in plaster done from life include
Sergei Rachmaninoff ,Sergei Prokofiev ,Lillian Gish , Lady Diana Cooper,Rabindranath Tagore ,Franklin D. Roosevelt ,Adlai Stevenson ,John F. Kennedy and many others.Derujinsky's works are in the permanent collections of major museums in this country and
Europe as well as many churches and public buildings.He died in
New York City .
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.