Boris Vorobiev. 1911-1990

Boris Vorobiev is a well-known Leningrad sculptor, the apprentice of the prominent Soviet master of sculpture Alexander Matveyev and also of Vasiliy Vatagin, the famous animalist. While studying in the Institute of painting, sculpture and architecture Vorobiev began to work at the Leningrad porcelain factory and also participated in various exhibitions. The profound devotion to the animalistic genre, constant experiments with materials and forms in search of the most truthful expression of the author's conception guaranteed constant success to Boris Vorobiev's works. Observing and investigating the habits of animals and making sketches on nature was the necessary part in the sculptor's work. The most part of works created from these sketches was then made in porcelain at the Leningrad porcelain factory where Vorobiev worked from 1936 to 1972. Practically all his animalistic compositions were used for the mass production.

The artist was awarded the silver medal for the "Himalayan Black Bear" in majolica and "Panther" in porcelain on the Brussels World Fair in 1958. In the artist's heritage there are also images from the novels by M. Lermontov, fables by I. Krylov and S. Mikhalkov, poems by N.Nekrasov and stories by A. Chekhov. Among his most significant works are the series of porcelain statuettes from the stories by N. Gogol and the "Black Panthers" triptych. The exhibition in the Russian museum will include not only the sculptures by Boris Vorobiev but also the examples of artist's graphic work (sketches for sculptural compositions, drawing studies from nature, watercolor compositions and decorative woodblock prints).