Valentin Andreevich Galochkin () (November 22, 1928 – November 3, 2006) was a prominent Soviet (Ukrainian, Russian) sculptor.

Biography

Galochkin was born in

Dnipropetrovsk Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

(

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

) on November 22, 1928. His father Andrey Andreevich Galochkin ( Ukrainian, in the soviet passport:

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

) came from the

Kaluga Kaluga (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast, Russia. It stands on the Oka River southwest of Moscow. Its population was 337,058 at the 2021 census. Kaluga's most famous residen ...

region and was a restaurant chef, later a modeler. Mother Golda Gorkhovna (in the soviet passport: Olga Grigorievna) Liberman (

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

) came from the town of

Chyhyryn Chyhyryn ( ; ) is a city in Cherkasy Raion, Cherkasy Oblast, central Ukraine. It is located on Tiasmyn river not far where it enters Dnieper. From 1648 to 1669, the city served as the residence of the hetman of the Zaporizhian Host. After a f ...

(

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

) and worked as an accountant. When

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

began in 1941 the family was evacuated to the

Krasnodar Krasnodar, formerly Yekaterinodar (until 1920), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city stands on the Kuban River in southern Russia, with a population of 1,154,885 residents, and up to 1.263 millio ...

region, then to

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

, returning in 1944 to

. From 1944 till 1949 Valentin Galochkin attended an art school in Dnipropetrovsk and learned from Professor Zhiradkov. From 1949 till 1955 he studied sculpture at Kyiv Institute of Fine Arts. His favorite professor was Max Isaevich Gelmann. Galochkin's graduation work "Steel smelter" (1956) was cast in bronze by the institute and sold to the USSR Ministry of Culture to exhibit in

Lvov Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

State Art Museum (

). Galochkin was appointed head artist of Kyiv sculpture works and remained at this post till 1959. At the age of 29, Galochkin was nominated for the

Lenin Prize The Lenin Prize (, ) was one of the most prestigious awards of the Soviet Union for accomplishments relating to science, literature, arts, architecture, and technology. It was originally created on June 23, 1925, and awarded until 1934. During ...

for his work "Hiroshima" (1957), however the prize went to 83-year-old

Sergey Konenkov Sergey Timofeyevich Konenkov, also Sergei Konyonkov (; – 9 December 1971) was a Russian and Soviet Union, Soviet sculptor. He was often called "the Russian Auguste Rodin, Rodin". Early life Konenkov was born in a peasant family, in a vi ...

. In 1968, Valentin Galochkin won a prize in a Festival of young artists in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. In 1960s and 1970s he visited the UK,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

and

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. He was impressed by the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. As he later recalled, he had so long waited to see this "temple of art" that right at the entrance, after having seen the statue of

Nike of Samothrace The ''Winged Victory of Samothrace'', or the ''Niké of Samothrace'', is a votive monument originally discovered on the island of Samothrace in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It is a masterpiece of Greek sculpture from the Hellenistic era, dating ...

, he couldn't help crying and for two hours didn't dare to enter the museum. Valentin Galochkin was married three times. The first marriage in (1958) was to Yulia Ukader (Soviet, Ukrainian sculptor). A daughter from the first marriage is Tatiana Galochkina (painter). The second marriage in (1978) was to Alena Bokshitskaya (film expert). A daughter from the second marriage is Anna Bokshitskaya (journalist). The third marriage in (1980) was to Lidia Galochkina, born Abramenko (Russian sculptor, graphic artist). Sons from the third marriage are Igor Galochkin (game developer) and Andre Galkin (programmer). Valentin Galochkin was a sportsman, a

Master of Sports Unified All-Russian Sports Classification () is a system which regulates the Russian physical education system requirements for both athletes and coaches. History In the Soviet period Unified Sports Classification System of the USSR () exist ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

and

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

, hunter and fisherman. In 1986, after the

Chernobyl disaster On 26 April 1986, the no. 4 reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located near Pripyat, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine), exploded. With dozens of direct casualties, it is one of only ...

, the sculptor moved with his family from

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. In 1999 he emigrated to

Wismar Wismar (; ), officially the Hanseatic City of Wismar () is, with around 43,000 inhabitants, the sixth-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and the fourth-largest city of Mecklenburg after Rostock, Schwerin and ...

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 ...

, and in 2002 moved to

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

. He died from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

on 3 November 2006 on a trip to

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 ...

, in

. He was buried in Nakhabino cemetery on November 8, 2006.

Artistic style

His early works, including the graduation work "Steel smelter" (1956) follow the standards of soviet realism set up by

Vera Mukhina Vera Ignatyevna Mukhina (; ; – 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 ...

Ivan Shadr Ivan Shadr (), pseudonym of Ivan Dmitriyevich Ivanov (; — 3 April 1941) was a Russian/Soviet sculptor and medalist who took his pseudonym after his hometown of Shadrinsk. Biography Ivan Ivanov was born on , in , Chelyabinsky Uyezd, Or ...

, Sergey Merkurov. The first significant work "Hiroshima" (1957) which made Galochkin well known in the

is devoted to the victims of

atomic bombing of Hiroshima On 6 and 9 August 1945, the United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively, during World War II. The aerial bombings killed between 150,000 and 246,000 people, most of whom were civil ...

. "Hiroshima" expresses the sculptor's protest against

nuclear weapons A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either nuclear fission, fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and nuclear fusion, fusion reactions (thermonuclear weap ...

, a call for humanness. Image:ValentinGalochkin_1956_SteelSmelter.jpg, "Steel-smelter", 1956 Image:ValentinGalochkin_1957_Hiroshima.jpg, "Hiroshima", 1957 Image:ValentinGalochkin_1960_Lenin.jpg, "V. I. Lenin", 1960 From 1957 till 1991 Galochkin produced dozens of state-ordered parade monuments and busts to

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...

and other soviet leaders. However the sculptor never treated these works as art. Already as a young artist he became disillusioned with the principles of soviet realism. He studied European and American art, especially

Henry Moore Henry Spencer Moore (30 July 1898 – 31 August 1986) was an English artist. He is best known for his semi-abstract art, abstract monumental Bronze sculpture, bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art. Moore ...

Ossip Zadkine Ossip Alexeevich Zadkine (; 28 January 1888 – 25 November 1967) was a Russian and French artist of the School of Paris. He is best known as a sculptor, but also produced paintings and lithographs. Early years and education Zadkine was born o ...

Amedeo Modigliani Amedeo Clemente Modigliani (; ; 12 July 1884 – 24 January 1920) was an Italian painter and sculptor of the École de Paris who worked mainly in France. He is known for portraits and nudes in a modern art, modern style characterized by a surre ...

. A series of monuments by Galochkin is devoted to

. His view of war is however very far from that of the

soviet propaganda Propaganda in the Soviet Union was the practice of state-directed communication aimed at promoting class conflict, proletarian internationalism, the goals of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and the party itself. The main Soviet cen ...

. Having survived the war as a child, he portrays the suffering of common people instead of youthfully marching soldiers or triumphant military leaders. His work "Leaving for the front" 1957, carved from one piece of wood, shows the last passionate kiss of a soldier leaving his wife. In memorial "Victim" 1964 a shape of a human appears as a breach in solid stone, as if formed by an exploding shell. The disappeared human being has left a trace, a

silhouette A silhouette (, ) is the image of a person, animal, object or scene represented as a solid shape of a single colour, usually black, with its edges matching the outline of the subject. The interior of a silhouette is featureless, and the silhouett ...

in the air. The memorial to the victims of

Babi Yar Babi Yar () or Babyn Yar () is a ravine in the Ukraine, Ukrainian capital Kyiv and a site of massacres carried out by Nazi Germany's forces during Eastern Front (World War II), its campaign against the Soviet Union in World War II. The first and ...

(working title "Violence") 1964 - a pregnant woman, cut in half is a terrible symbol for the mass executions of Jews. Monument "Widows" 1975 depicts an old and a young woman (mother and wife) eternally holding the soldier's helmet. In the work "Gate of sorrow" 1976 two "women are mourning over a heavy loss, like atlantes". "Memorial to the burnt village" 1979 - a girl standing in the flame. Image:ValentinGalochkin_1957_Parting.jpg, "Leaving for the front", 1957 Image:ValentinGalochkin_1964_Victim.jpg, "Victim", 1964 Image:ValentinGalochkin_1964_Violence.jpg, "Babi Yar", 1964 Image:ValentinGalochkin_1975_Widows.jpg, "Widows", 1975 Image:ValentinGalochkin_1976_SorrowGate.jpg, "Gate of sorrow", 1976 Image:ValentinGalochkin_1979_BurntVillageMonument.jpg, "Memorial to the burnt village", 1976 A common theme of Galochkin's indoor sculpture is the figure of a woman and female

torso The torso or trunk is an anatomical terminology, anatomical term for the central part, or the core (anatomy), core, of the body (biology), body of many animals (including human beings), from which the head, neck, limb (anatomy), limbs, tail an ...

. Unfortunately most of his studies and works depicting the female body in a realistic manner did not survive to the present day. His presentation of the nude body gradually changed from a realistic to more and more a symbolic one. In works "Queen" 1965, "River" 1970, "Cellist" 1975 the figure of a woman is stylized, converted into a play of silhouettes, volumes, and "shapes of air". Valentin Galochkin develops his own concept of sculpture as a multitude of

s, which are built by the air surrounding the sculpture. From different angles of view the same sculpture makes a different silhouette. Image:ValentinGalochkin_1975_Mermaid.jpg, "Mermaid", 1975 Image:ValentinGalochkin_1965_Slavery.jpg, Study ("Slavery"), 1965 Image:ValentinGalochkin_1975_Spring.jpg, Study ("Spring"), 1975 Image:ValentinGalochkin_1965_Queen.jpg, "Queen", 1965 Image:ValentinGalochkin_1970_River.jpg, "River", 1970 Image:ValentinGalochkin_1975_Cellist.jpg, "Cellist", 1975 A special place in Galochkin's works belongs to the geometrical form of

ellipse In mathematics, an ellipse is a plane curve surrounding two focus (geometry), focal points, such that for all points on the curve, the sum of the two distances to the focal points is a constant. It generalizes a circle, which is the special ty ...

in which he sees the basis of

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography * Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...

and "the drive to harmony". His "Torsos" of 1969 and 1975 convert female torsos into ellipse-reminding, strained and balanced shapes. Image:ValentinGalochkin_1969_BoundTorso.jpg, "Bounded torso", 1969 Image:ValentinGalochkin_1975_Torso.jpg, "Torso", 1975 Image:ValentinGalochkin_1975_Torsos.jpg, "Torsos", 1975

Citations (from working notes)

''Even beautiful but designed and therefore annoying rhythms and silhouettes are also lies, a make-up, so empty and distant.'' ''Only the passionless can have a quality of the eternal.'' ''If there is an objective concept of "beauty" and if beautiful, in this case, should remain forever beautiful, one should create in accordance with the laws of the universe.'' ''Not precocity makes a work of art timeless and great, but its naked, sincere truth and purity, so simple as the earth itself, faceup opened to people.'' ''What does this beauty of a thing consist of? Perhaps, first of all, of harmony and inner rhythm and cohesion, rationality and hidden appropriateness.'' ''For your inner world to become valuable to others, not to yourself only, it must be humane.'' ''In a piece of art there must be a mystery.''

Bibliography

* Galochkina L. ''Valentin Galochkin.'' 2018, Viaprinto, München.
onlineonline2
* Галочкина Л. Н. ''Валентин Галочкин: жизнь и работа скульптора. Из рабочих записей Валентина Галочкина.'' 2010, Москва, Анкил, 336 с. с илл., . * ''Объединение московских скульпторов 1992-2007''. Каталог произведений московских скульпторов к 15-летию ОМС, изд.МСХ, Москва, 67 стр. с илл., 2007. C. 1

* Андрієвська В. Л., Беличко Ю. В. ''На межі 2-3 тисячоліття. Художники Києва. Iз древа життя Українського, образотворче мистецтво.'' 2009, Києв, Криниця. 523 с. * Galochkina L. ''Valentin Galochkin.'' 2 Volumen. 2007, Hamburg, Fotobuch.de, 653353-H96C13G * Вольценбург О. Э. ''Советский биографический словарь.'' под. ред. Гориной Т. Н. Москва, Искусство, 1972. С. 399

* ''Опыт как реальность.'' Конечна Р. Новости МСХ, 2010 (No.11

* Nikolai Tomsky, Tomsky about "Hiroshima" 1957 in Томский Н. В., Шевцов И. М. ''Прекрасное и народ: сборник статей.'' Москва, Из-во Академии художеств СССР, 1961. С. 144

External links

Official website
(archives) * Galochkin's archive in

Russian State Archive of Literature and Art Russian State Archive of Literature and Art (, or RGALI) is one of the largest state archives in Russia. It preserves documents of national literature, music, theatre, cinema, painting and architecture. History As a centralized archive for doc ...

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Galochkin, Valentin 1928 births Ukrainian Jews Ukrainian people of Russian descent Soviet sculptors Russian male sculptors 2006 deaths Artists from Dnipro 20th-century Ukrainian people National Academy of Visual Arts and Architecture alumni Ukrainian male sculptors