Vera Mukhina
Vera Mukhina (1st of July 1889, Riga, Russian Empire – 6th of October 1953, Moscow, Russian SFSR) – a sculptor. Author of the monument «Worker and Kolkhoz Woman».
Vera Mukhina was born in a wealthy merchant family.
After the death of his wife, the father of Vera Mukhina, being cautious of her health, took his daughter to Crimea, where she spent her childhood. She studied painting in Moscow and in 1912–1914 had been an aprientice of a famous sculptor Antoine Bourdelle in Paris. During the First World War she had been serving as a nurse at a military hospital.
Many of her works became famous. For example, her sculpture of 1927 "Peasant Woman" now is exibited at the Vatican Museum. However, she reached international fame when in 1937 on the World Exhibition in Paris was revealed her monument "Worker and Kolkhoz Woman" – this sculpture stood at the end of Soviet pavilion. The Parisians liked this work so much, that wanted to purchase it, however the USSR did not sell the statue. The monument was installed in Moscow at the entrance to the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy, and later became the symbol of Mosfilm studio.
In 1937 sculptor Vera Mukhina, who at that time resided in Moscow, became the only inheritor of the family's property in Riga. She resigned from claiming it and the total amount of the property, which was passed to the Republic of Latvia, was estimated at 4 million lats.
Vera Mukhina was a laureat of five supreme awards of the USSR, several orders, was a member of the presidium of the Academy of Arts of the USSR.
Alexander Gurin
Photo. Vera Mukhina in her Studio.
Sources of information:
ЛГИА, ф. 232, оп. 2, д. 160, лл. 197 об.-198. Документ от Татьяны Панкратьевой.
В. Грецов. Очерк о скульпторе В.И. Мухиной
https://rusmir.media/2010/07/01/skulptor
Rīgas domes Kultūras departamenta raksts (06.06.2008.) par V.Muhinas māju
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