The directory «Artists»

Antokolsky Mark Matveevich
(1843—1902)

Mark Matveevich Antokolsky, was a Russian sculptor who was admired for psychological complexity of his historical images and panned for occasional lapses into sentimentalism.

He was born as Mordukh Matysovich Antokolsky. Antokolsky studied in the Imperial Academy of Arts (1862–68). He first began with Jewish themes, statues: "Jewish Tailor", "Nathan The Wise", "Inquisition's Attack against Jews", "Argument over the Talmud".

From 1868-1870, Mark Antokolsky lived in Berlin. His statue of "Ivan the Terrible" (1870) was purchased for the Hermitage by Tsar Alexander II of Russia. The Russian tsar approved his work and awarded the sculptor the title of academic. Mark Antokolsky believed that sculpture was a social and humane ideal. In order to improve his failing health, he moved to the Italian resorts in 1871 and settled in Paris 6 years later.

In Rome, Antokolsky completed the statue of Peter the Great for Peterhof in 1872, with its copies for Taganrog and Archangelsk. In 1878 Antokolsky exhibited most of his works at the Paris Universal exposition, and received the Grand Prize. In 1880, the personal exhibition of the artist was held in Saint Petersburg, and he was given the rank of professor.

Mark Antokolsky left for Paris the same year, and stayed in the French capital until the end of his life. He realised here the following works: "Spinoza" (1881), "Mephistopheles"(1884), "Yaroslav the Wise"(1889), "Nestor the Chronicler"(1889) and "Yermak Timofeevich" (1891).
As disease of the artist progressed, he had to spend part of his time in Lake Maggiore in Italy, but he worked most of the time in Paris. Mark Antokolsky died in Frankfurt am Main in 1902.

USSR, 1983, 400th anniv of Arkhangelsk