Anna Golubkina (1864–1927). 160th Anniversary of the Artist's Birth

The exhibition is being held in Hall 80 on the second floor of the Benois Wing.

28 January 2024 marks the 160th anniversary of Anna Golubkina’s birth, an outstanding Russian sculptor. Her works are shown at the permanent exhibition of the Russian Museum in the Benois Wing and in two open funds of sculpture in St Michael’s Castle. The jubilee exhibition presents typical works of the sculptor from different years.

Female Head (1902–1903. Marble, limestone). In 1902–1903, Golubkina lived in Paris and mastered a technique of working with marble. Many contemporary French sculptors and critics highly appreciated her work. In particular, the art historian Jean-Louis Vaudoyer wrote about Female Head, exhibited at the Salon d’Automne in Paris: “There is strength and thought in this mask, and the sculptor’s work with the material is skillful and light.” For a long time, Olga Mechnikova kept Anna Golubkina’s works at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, where she worked together with her husband Ilya Mechnikov. It was in 1938 that it became possible to bring the unique work, created by the sculptor at the beginning of her career, to the Anna Golubkina Moscow Museum and Studio (in 1953 the sculpture was transferred to the State Russian Museum).

Hillock (1904. Cast in 1940. Bronze). Anna Golubkina recalled that “in every puddle, in every hillock, in every twig I see images,” often inspired by folk legends. For example, a legend about poluverets – a missing person or a child who died unbaptized and appeared in human form. The figurative solution of the composition Hillock is imbued with symbolism; the figures of children seem to lurk and quiet down living simultaneously in real and fairy-tale worlds. The sculptor’s nieces Alexandra Golubkina (1899–1967) and Vera Golubkina (1901–1976) posed for this work.

Portrait of Anatoly Gunst (1905. Bronze). Anatoly Gunst (1858–1919) was an architect and a founder of the Fine Arts Classes opened in Moscow in 1886. It was one of the few art institutions where women were allowed to study. Gunst showed interest in the outstanding talent of the young artist, accepted her without entrance examinations and exempted her from tuition fees. Already a recognized sculptor, Golubkina created a portrait of Anatoly Gunst as a sign of gratitude and deep respect and presented it to her first mentor. The portrait is executed in the free impressionist manner typical of Golubkina with carefully worked out portrait features.

Portrait of Leo Tolstoy (1927. Cast in 1947. Bronze). The portrait of the great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy is the last finished portrait made by Anna Golubkina in 1927 for the Leo Tolstoy Museum in Moscow. Golubkina sculpted the portrait based only on her memories without using any documentary materials. She was inspired by his books, she thought and talked about him keeping vivid impressions of her only meeting with the writer. This made it possible to create an image of a giant of thought unconstrained by the ideas of others. The impressionist manner of sculpturing with the unique play of light and shade does not contradict the power of the monumental form, which is in full accordance with the sculptor's perception of Tolstoy as a deep and at the same time contradictory personality.

Birch (1927. Cast in 1948. Bronze). Birch is one of the sculptures preceding Anna Golubkina’s last unfinished work that she intended to perform in wood. This refined and lyrical image, with a moderately conventional visual motif in which the silhouette of a tree standing in the wind can be seen, has thus acquired an iconic character. The title of this work came about by chance. Anna Golubkina liked the remark pronounced by a visitor who saw the sculpture in her studio: “Little birch tree.” This would become fixed for this graceful, slender and at the same time sturdy figure evoking associations with folklore images: “Little birch so lonely was standing… 

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