Vasily Ivanovich Demut-Malinovsky

VASILY IVANOVICH DEMUT-MALINOVSKY was a Russian monumental sculptor of the Neoclassical and Empire periods. The son of the woodcarver Ivan Demut, he was connected with the artistic environment of the Academy of Arts from childhood, and Mikhail Kozlovsky became his principal teacher. After completing the Academy course he remained as a pensioner and later continued his training in Italy, where he benefited from the advice of Antonio Canova. After returning to Russia he worked on major architectural and sculptural ensembles in Saint Petersburg in collaboration with Andrey Voronikhin, Andreyan Zakharov, Carlo Rossi, and Stepan Pimenov. His best-known works include The Abduction of Proserpina by Pluto at the Mining Institute, the statue of Saint Andrew the Apostle for Kazan Cathedral, sculptural decoration for the Admiralty and Mikhailovsky Palace, participation in the Chariot of Glory of the General Staff arch, and sculpture for the Narva Triumphal Arch. His easel sculpture Russian Scaevola of 1813 became one of his most celebrated works. Demut-Malinovsky also created portrait busts, tomb monuments, and designs for monuments including those to Michael Barclay de Tolly and Ivan Susanin. His long teaching career at the Imperial Academy of Arts culminated in leadership of its sculpture department.