Fazil Imamverdi oghlu Najafov (, 16 February 1935 – 11 July 2023) was an Azerbaijani sculptor and painter. He was a

People's Artist of Azerbaijan People's Artist of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: ''Xalq rəssamı'') is the honorary title and award granted for contribution to the development of Azerbaijani culture. History The People's Artists of the Azerbaijan SSR (1931–1990) was a precursor ...

(2002) and one of the founders of the

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

style in Azerbaijani sculpture.

Biography

Fazil Najafov was born in Baku in 1935. In 1955, he graduated from Azim Azimzade State Art School. He graduated from the

Surikov Moscow Art Institute The Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (russian: Московское училище живописи, ваяния и зодчества, МУЖВЗ) also known by the acronym MUZHZV, was one of the largest educational insti ...

in 1961. The sculpture composition "Explanation" of the artist, who participated in exhibitions since the 1960s, and later the work "Oilman" attracted the public's attention. In 2014, Najafov created a

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

to the composer

Gara Garayev Gara Abulfaz oghlu Garayev ( az, Qara Əbülfəz oğlu Qarayev, russian: Кара́ Абульфа́зович Кара́ев (Kara Abulfazovich Karayev), February 5, 1918 – May 13, 1982), also spelled as Qara Qarayev or Kara Karayev, was a pr ...

, which was installed in the center of Baku. Currently, the works of Fazil Najafov form a significant part of the collection of

Baku Museum of Modern Art Baku Museum of Modern Art ( az, Bakı müasir incəsənət muzeyi) is a museum of modern art located in Baku, Azerbaijan. History The museum was built at the initiative of the First Lady of Azerbaijan, Mehriban Aliyeva and opened on 20 March 200 ...

. In January 2019, the presentation of the documentary film "Stones looking at the sky" dedicated to the work of Fazil Najafov was held. Najafov died on 11 July 2023, at the age of 88.

Awards

* Honored Art Worker of the Azerbaijan SSR — 7 May 1988 *

— 30 May 2002 *

Shohrat Order Shohrat Order ( az, Şöhrət ordeni), translated as ''Order of Glory'', is an award presented by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. History and status The order was created by the Decree No. 757 of the President of Azerbaijan, Heydar ...

— 15 February 2020

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Najafov, Fazil 1935 births 2023 deaths Honored Art Workers of the Azerbaijan SSR Recipients of the Shohrat Order Soviet painters 20th-century Azerbaijani painters Artists from Baku 20th-century Azerbaijani sculptors 21st-century Azerbaijani painters 21st-century Azerbaijani sculptors Male painters Male sculptors 20th-century male artists 21st-century male artists