Sergey Timofeyevich Konenkov

Sergey Timofeyevich Konenkov was a Russian and Soviet sculptor, graphic artist, and teacher. He was born in the village of Verkhnie Karakovichi in the Smolensk Governorate to a family of prosperous peasants. After attending a progymnasium, Konenkov externally passed the examinations for the course of a classical gymnasium. From 1892 to 1899 he studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture and obtained the title of a non-class artist. In subsequent years he continued his studies at the Higher Art School of the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg and in 1902 received the title of sculptor for his diploma work "Samson, Breaking the Bonds".

Konenkov took an active part in the December Uprising of 1905. In 1906 he created a series of portraits of participants in the fighting on Presnya. He was accepted as a member of the Union of Russian Artists in 1909 and traveled to Greece and Egypt in 1912. After the Revolution, Konenkov became an organizer and chairman of the Moscow Professional Union of Sculptor-Artists, and also taught at Vkhutemas and at the Proletkult studio.

During World War II Konenkov was a member of the Committee to Aid Russia and created sculptural portraits of well-known military commanders from photographs. After returning to Moscow in 1945, he was honored with high awards: the Stalin Prize (1951), the titles People's Artist of the RSFSR (1955) and People's Artist of the USSR (1958), as well as the title Hero of Socialist Labour (1964). Sergey Timofeyevich Konenkov died in 1971 and was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.