Lev Naumovich Smorgon
Lev Naumovich Smorgon (born February 17, 1929, Detskoye Selo, Leningrad Oblast) is a Soviet and Russian sculptor, painter, graphic artist, medalist, children's toy designer, and writer. He has been a member of the Union of Artists of Russia since 1957 and a member of the 'Art Village' association. He has participated in numerous artistic exhibitions in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kiev, Ostend, Prague, Plovdiv, Zagreb, Stockholm, New York, Oslo, and other cities. His works are represented in the collections of the State Russian Museum, the Theater Museum, the Doll Museum (all in St. Petersburg), the Perm State Art Gallery, the Krasnoyarsk Art Gallery, the Arkhangelsk State Gallery, and others.
Smorgon's early artistic activity in the 1950s was connected to the Leningrad Porcelain Factory, where he created many porcelain sculpture models produced in large runs. Throughout the 1950s, 60s, and early 70s, he created over a hundred plaster doll and toy models for mass production. His unique glass art, made as single pieces, holds both technological and aesthetic value. Over his life, he created hundreds of drawings and watercolors, and his paintings are noteworthy for their originality. Although adept at many forms of art, among his peers Smorgon is best known as a sculptor, though he personally prefers the title 'artist.'
Biography
Smorgon was born in Detskoye Selo (now Pushkin, a district of Leningrad) on February 17, 1929. In 1934, he was raised by his non-biological grandfather, Ivan Nikolaevich Krynetsky, to whom Lev dedicated a chapter in his memoirs. Evacuated to the Urals with his orphanage in August 1941, he stayed there until 1944. He entered the Leningrad Architectural and Art School in 1944, which became the Leningrad Higher Art and Industrial School (named after V.I. Mukhina) by 1948. Smorgon graduated from the department of decorative and applied sculpture in 1952. His teachers included sculptors Viktor Villgelmovich Ellonen, Vladimir Iosifovich Ingal, and Vasily Lvovich Simonov. After graduation, he was invited to join the Union of Artists of the USSR, but he initially declined. From 1954, he worked at the Leningrad Experimental Porcelain Factory at the State Research Institute of Ceramics, creating dozens of mass-produced porcelain sculpture models. He became a member of the Union of Artists in 1957.
In addition to sculpture, he worked extensively in toy design, reforming the image and construction of Soviet dolls, and ventured into artistic glassmaking, pioneering new color techniques. After a pivotal meeting with artist Vladimir Volkov in 1968, Smorgon began working with stone, developing his own assembly method and exploring biblical themes. He also created many bronze portraits and commemorative monuments, including memorial plaques and monuments for notable figures.
He authored several autobiographical books with his signature wit and was awarded the Tsarskoye Selo Art Prize in 2018 for his book 'Why I Didn't Become a Shoemaker.'
Works in Collections
Works by Smorgon are held in the State Russian Museum, Museum of Urban Sculpture, Theater Museum, Doll Museum, Lomonosov Porcelain Factory Museum (all St. Petersburg), Perm State Art Gallery, Krasnoyarsk Art Gallery, Arkhangelsk State Gallery, and in private collections in Russia, UK, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, USA, and others.
Family
Mother: Mariam Solomonovna Smorgon (1900–1986). Father: Naum Lazarevich Smorgon (1896–1944). Brother: Mark Naumovich Smorgon (1924–1941). First wife: Nina Gavrilovna Spivak (1931–2021). Second wife: Irina Vyacheslavovna Lebedeva (b. 1959) – engineer, art manager, artist. Daughter: Marina Spivak (b. 1955) – sculptor, artist. Granddaughters: Ekaterina Pozina (1977–2014), Inna Pozina (b. 1979). Great-grandchildren: Vera Kucherenko (b. 1997), Ivan Pozin (b. 2002), Feodora Korostik (b. 2016), Vasily Korostik (b. 2017), Grigory Korostik (b. 2022). Great-great-grandchildren: Filipp Shurygin (b. 2016), Kassia Shurygina (b. 2017), Mark Shurygin (b. 2021). Sons-in-law: Alexander Pozin (b. 1957), Alexander Korostik (b. 1978), Artem Kucherenko (b. 1975), Platon Shurygin (b. 1993).
Bibliography
V. Meyland. The Petersburg Barbizon.
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