The Most Famous
SCULPTORS from Ukraine
Top 6
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Ukrainian Sculptors of all time. This list of famous Ukrainian Sculptors is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Alexander Archipenko (1887 - 1964)
With an HPI of 62.83, Alexander Archipenko is the most famous Ukrainian Sculptor. His biography has been translated into 38 different languages on wikipedia.
Alexander Porfyrovych Archipenko (May 30 [O.S. May 18] 1887 – February 25, 1964) was a Ukrainian-American avant-garde artist, sculptor, and graphic artist, active in France and the United States. He was one of the first to apply the principles of Cubism to architecture, analyzing human figures into geometrical forms.
2. Yevgeny Vuchetich (1908 - 1974)
With an HPI of 55.37, Yevgeny Vuchetich is the 2nd most famous Ukrainian Sculptor. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.
Yevgeny Viktorovich Vuchetich (Russian: Евгений Викторович Вучетич; 28 December [O.S. 15 December] 1908–12 April 1974) was a Soviet sculptor and artist. He is known for his heroic monuments, often of allegoric style, including The Motherland Calls, the largest sculpture in the world at the time.
3. Chana Orloff (1888 - 1968)
With an HPI of 50.97, Chana Orloff is the 3rd most famous Ukrainian Sculptor. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Chana Orloff (Hebrew: חנה אורלוף; 12 July 1888 – 16 December 1968) was Ukrainian-born French and Israeli Art deco and figurative art sculptor.
4. Ivan Martos (1754 - 1835)
With an HPI of 50.89, Ivan Martos is the 4th most famous Ukrainian Sculptor. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Ivan Petrovich Martos (Russian: Иван Петрович Мартос; Ukrainian: Іван Петрович Мартос; 1754 – 5 April 1835) was a Russian sculptor and art teacher of Ukrainian origin who helped awaken Russian interest in Neoclassical sculpture.
5. Lev Kerbel (1917 - 2003)
With an HPI of 49.64, Lev Kerbel is the 5th most famous Ukrainian Sculptor. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.
Lev Yefimovich Kerbel (Russian: Лев Ефимович Кербель; November 7 [O.S. October 25] 1917 – 14 August 2003) was a Soviet and Russian sculptor of socialist realist works. Kerbel's creations included statues of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Yuri Gagarin, which were sent by Soviet Government as gifts to socialist and the Third World countries across the world. Kerbel was born to a Jewish family in the village of Semyonovka in Chernigov Governorate, Russian Republic (currently Semenivka, Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine), on the day that the Winter Palace in Petrograd was stormed by the Bolsheviks. Lev's family moved to the Smolensk region, where he began sculpting as a child. He continued to sculpt and in 1934 he won an award from the Komsomol (Young Communist League) for a plaque of Lenin. During World War II, Kerbel helped build the defenses for the Battle of Moscow, then served in the Northern Fleet, gaining renown as a military artist. After the war, Kerbel's career took off with a wide range of commissions. In 1958 he sculpted a statue in Shanghai that depicted a huge Soviet and an equally large Chinese worker hand in hand. When Soviet-Chinese relations foundered a few years later, the statue was torn down by a mob. In the 1950s to 1970s Kerbel sculpted many portraits of Soviet and foreign intellectuals: writer Boris Lavrenyov and violinist David Oistrakh, Canadian clergyman James Gareth Endicott, Giacomo Manzù (sculptor) and Pietro Orgento (orchestral conductor) from Italy and many others. Another example of Kerbel's sculptures is the Lenin Monument in the Parque Lenin area of Havana, Cuba. In 1976 the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union presented the Government of Sri Lanka the monument of Solomon Bandaranaike, the late Prime minister of the country, carved by Lev Kerbel. While some people dismiss Kerbel's works as a form of flat Communist propaganda, Kerbel himself said that he was always more interested in art than politics. Many people now view his few remaining statues with nostalgia, particularly in Chemnitz, where his bust of Karl Marx is referred to as 'the head'. Among the monuments on the graves of the Soviet soldiers carefully preserved in Germany are Kerbel sculptures in Berlin and on Seelow Heights. In the 1990s following the collapse of the socialist bloc many of his works of art were destroyed. However, his enormous Karl Marx Monument has been preserved as a cultural monument. One of Kerbel's last works was the memorial to the crew of the Kursk submarine, inaugurated in Moscow on August 12, 2002.
6. Louise Nevelson (1899 - 1988)
With an HPI of 49.40, Louise Nevelson is the 6th most famous Ukrainian Sculptor. Her biography has been translated into 23 different languages.
Louise Nevelson (September 23, 1899 – April 17, 1988) was an American sculptor known for her monumental, monochromatic, wooden wall pieces and outdoor sculptures. Born in the Poltava Governorate of the Russian Empire (present-day Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine), she emigrated with her family to the United States in the early 20th century. Nevelson learned English at school, as she spoke Yiddish at home. By the early 1930s she was attending art classes at the Art Students League of New York, and in 1941 she had her first solo exhibition. Nevelson experimented with early conceptual art using found objects, and experimented with painting and printing before dedicating her lifework to sculpture. Usually created out of wood, her sculptures appear puzzle-like, with multiple intricately cut pieces placed into wall sculptures or independently standing pieces, often 3-D. The sculptures are typically painted in monochromatic black or white. A prominent figure in the international art scene, Nevelson participated in the 31st Venice Biennale. Her work has been included in museum and corporate collections in Europe and North America. Nevelson remains one of the most important figures in 20th-century American sculpture.
People
Pantheon has 6 people classified as Ukrainian sculptors born between 1754 and 1917. Of these 6, none of them are still alive today. The most famous deceased Ukrainian sculptors include Alexander Archipenko, Yevgeny Vuchetich, and Chana Orloff. As of April 2024, 1 new Ukrainian sculptors have been added to Pantheon including Chana Orloff.
Deceased Ukrainian Sculptors
Go to all Rankings
Alexander Archipenko
1887 - 1964
HPI: 62.83
Yevgeny Vuchetich
1908 - 1974
HPI: 55.37
Chana Orloff
1888 - 1968
HPI: 50.97
Ivan Martos
1754 - 1835
HPI: 50.89
Lev Kerbel
1917 - 2003
HPI: 49.64
Louise Nevelson
1899 - 1988
HPI: 49.40
Newly Added Ukrainian Sculptors (2024)
Go to all RankingsOverlapping Lives
Which Sculptors were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 6 most globally memorable Sculptors since 1700.
