Origins & Early Life

Vera Ignatyevna Mukhina (Russian: Ве́ра Игна́тьевна Му́хина; French: Vera Moukhina; 1 July [O.S. 19 June] 1889 – 6 October 1953) was a Soviet sculptor and painter. She was nicknamed "the queen of Soviet sculpture". She was one of the members of the art association ‘The Four Arts’, which existed in Moscow and Leningrad from 1924 to 1931.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Mukhina was born 1889 in Riga, Russian Empire into a wealthy merchant family, and lived at 23/25 Turgeneva Street, where a memorial plaque has now been placed. Mukhina's ancestors lived in Riga after the Patriotic War of 1812. The family was well-to-do: in 1937 Mukhina inherited 4 million lats from her grandfather. She spent her childhood and youth (1892–1904) in Feodosia where her father took her considering his daughter's health (Vera was two years old when her mother died of tuberculosis). In Feodosia the future artist received her first drawing and painting lessons.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

She lived there until 1904 when her father died. Mukhina and her older sister Maria were sheltered by uncles and aunts who lived in Kursk, where Mukhina went to high school which she graduated from with honors. On Christmas day of 1912 when Mukhina was staying at her uncle...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Anna Akhmatova — Contemporary (Born in 1889) (1889): A seminal Russian poet whose work chronicled the trauma of the Soviet era.
• Anne Lee Guinness — Contemporary (Died in 1889) (1889): Irish philanthropist known for establishing nursing homes and supporting the poor in Dublin.
• António de Oliveira Salazar — Contemporary (Born in 1889) (1889): Portuguese academic and economist who established the authoritarian Estado Novo regime.
• Alex Gibney — Contemporary (Born in 1953) (1953): Acclaimed American documentary filmmaker known for investigative works on power and belief.
• Andrew Wiles — Contemporary (Born in 1953) (1953): English mathematician renowned for proving Fermat's Last Theorem.
• Benazir Bhutto — Contemporary (Born in 1953) (1953): Pioneering Pakistani stateswoman, first woman PM in a Muslim-majority nation.
• Aage Bohr — Shared historical date (06-19 · Born) (1922): Pioneering Danish nuclear physicist, Nobel laureate for atomic structure theory.
• Alfred Baphethuxolo Nzo — Shared historical date (06-19 · Born) (1925): Prominent South African politician and long-serving ANC leader.
• Anwar Sadat — Shared historical date (10-06 · Died) (1981): Egyptian President who spearheaded economic reform and the peace treaty with Israel.
• Basil Zaharoff — Shared historical date (10-06 · Born) (1849): Greek industrialist and arms dealer, known as a 'merchant of death' in global conflicts.
• 1889 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1889
• June 19 (06-19) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on June 19
• 1953 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1953
• October 6 (10-06) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on October 6