Kārlis Zāle (28 October 1888 – 19 February 1942) was a
Latvian sculptor
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
.
Zāle was born in
Mažeikiai
Mažeikiai (; Samogitian: ''Mažeikē''; ; ) is a city in northwestern Lithuania, on the Venta River. It has a population of around 32,000, making it the eighth largest city in Lithuania and eighteenth largest city in the Baltic States. Th ...
, but grew up in
Liepāja
Liepāja () (formerly: Libau) is a Administrative divisions of Latvia, state city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea. It is the largest city in the Courland region and the third-largest in the country after Riga and Daugavpils. It is an ...
.
After training in
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
at the
Kazan Art School under
Alexander Matveyev and in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, he returned to
Riga
Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...
in 1923, where he both worked in sculpture and taught it. He is best known for his monumental sculptures, including the massive main gates at
Brothers' Cemetery
Brothers' Cemetery or Cemetery of the Brethren (), also sometimes referred to in English as the Common Graves or simply as the Military Cemetery, is a military cemetery and national monument in Riga, capital of Latvia.
The cemetery is a memori ...
and the
Freedom Monument
The Freedom Monument () is a monument located in Riga, Latvia, honouring soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence (1918–1920). It is considered an important symbol of the freedom, independence, and sovereignty of Latvia. Unveil ...
in Riga.
He died in
Inčukalns
Inčukalns (German language, German: ''Hinzenberg'') is a village in Sigulda Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. Started in 1436, the parish was for centuries a part of Medieval Livonia. Its economy mainly subsists on farming and fores ...
,
Latvia
Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
.
Gallery
File:Brīvības piemineklis-Latvija.png, Freedom Monument, Riga
File:Sudrabkalniņš 003.jpg, Detail, Monument to the Soldiers of the 6th Infantry Regiment, Sudrabkalniņš (Silver Hill), Riga
File:Brothers Cemetery Riga 04.jpg, Main gate, Brothers' Cemetery (Riga)
File:Freedom Monument close-up.jpg, ''Liberty'' atop the Freedom Monument
References
*Apsitis, V., 1982 (3ed edn, 1993). ''Latvian Art in 1915–1940'' (comp. I. Burane). Stockholm: Latvian State Academy of Arts.
External links
Classic.Culture.lv: Short Biography"Brīvības Piemineklis" (Freedom Monument), published by the Freedom Monument Committee, 1935(in Latvian, partially translated)
1888 births
1942 deaths
People from Mažeikiai
People from Telshevsky Uyezd
Latvian sculptors
20th-century Latvian artists
20th-century sculptors
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