С. Т. Конёнкову Plaque

Have you ever noticed a plaque on a building? Often, these plaques tell tales of the people who lived there, or of those who made their mark on the city. This plaque, on this very wall, honors one such person. It is dedicated to Sergey Timofeyevich Konenkov. He was an incredibly gifted sculptor, known throughout Russia, who was often called “the Russian Rodin.” The plaque tells us that Sergey Konenkov lived from 1947 to 1971. That’s a long lifetime to dedicate to art. During that time, he created many sculptures of famous Russian writers and poets, including Pushkin, Tolstoy and Mayakovsky. Konenkov’s life was far from ordinary. He travelled to Italy, Egypt, Greece and Germany, drawing inspiration from the art he encountered on his journeys. But perhaps his most interesting adventure was in the United States. After a trip there to participate in an exhibition of Russian art in 1923, he stayed for 22 years! Imagine, living and working in New York City. But, he was missing Russia deeply. In his spare time, he continued to make sculptures about Russia. One of his most famous sculptures during this time was his wood carving “Russia” – a beautiful, idealized depiction of a Russian woman. You know, some people believe that Konenkov’s wife was a Soviet spy, and that they used their stay in America to learn all they could about the “Manhattan Project.” If true, what a story! In 1945, Konenkov was ordered back to the USSR. He’s considered one of the country’s most important sculptors. They gave him a large studio in Moscow, and his work was so highly-regarded, he was asked to design a plaque commemorating the first anniversary of the October Revolution on the Senate Tower of the Kremlin. His later works often focused on the lives of heroes and revolutionaries, a reminder of the turbulent times he lived through. Although he travelled the world, Konenkov found peace and inspiration in his birthplace. This makes it all the more special that he chose to be buried in the Novodevichy Cemetery, in Moscow. He is truly a legend of Russian art, whose legacy lives on in the beauty and strength of his sculptures and the stories he left behind.