Biography

He was a Russian sculptor, who is best known for his large monumental yet expressive sculptures. His works can be found in Rome, Geneva, Stockholm, New York, Perm, and Moscow. His home city of Yekaterinburg (formerly Sverdlovsk) has a museum dedicated to his sculptures.

When Nikita Khrushchev came to power, he considered his work to be "degenerate," leading to difficulties for Neizvestny. He had to take odd jobs to support himself, but he continued to work as an artist, and won a competition to build a memorial on the site of Egypt's Aswan High Dam. Ironically, in 1974 Krushchev's family asked Neizvestny to design the Soviet leader's tombstone; the sculptor agreed.

He served in the Red Army as a paratrooper in WWII. After the war, he studied at the Art Academy of Latvia before continuing his classical training in Moscow. He began working as an illustrator and created monumental sculptures. He earned acclaim both at international art festivals and in his native country, where he was considered a member of the artistic elite.

He emigrated to the US in 1977 and lived there the rest of his life.