Zair Isaakovich Azgur (January 15, 1908 – February 18, 1995) was a

Soviet 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 ...

and

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

ian sculptor active during the Soviet period. Born in

Mogilev Governorate Mogilev Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Northwestern Krai of the Russian Empire. The governorate bordered the Vitebsk Governorate to the north, the Smolensk Governorate to the east, the Chernigov Gover ...

(now in Vitebsk Region,

), he studied in that city from 1922 to 1925; from 1925 until 1928 he studied at the Vkhutein in

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. He first exhibited in 1923. He was mainly active in

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

, where among his projects was the creation of

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

s for the

opera house An opera house is a theater building used for performances of opera. Like many theaters, it usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, backstage facilities for costumes and building sets, as well as offices for the institut ...

. He created a series of portrait busts of war heroes and military figures during the 1940s. At the

1958 World's Fair Expo 58, also known as the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (; ), was a world's fair held on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in Brussels, Belgium, from 17 April to 19 October 1958. It was the first major world's fair registered under the Bureau Internatio ...

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

he won a silver medal for his statue of

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renai ...

. Monuments to his design were erected at

Luhansk Luhansk (, ; , ), also known as Lugansk (, ; , ), is a city in the Donbas in eastern Ukraine. As of 2022, the population was estimated to be making Luhansk the Cities in Ukraine, 12th-largest city in Ukraine. Luhansk served as the administra ...

in 1947; Minsk in 1947;

Borodino The Battle of Borodino ( ) or Battle of Moscow (), in popular literature also known as the Battle of the Generals, took place on the outskirts of Moscow near the village of Borodino on 7 September 1812 during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. T ...

in 1949;

Suzdal Suzdal (, ) is a Types of inhabited localities in Russia, town that serves as the administrative center of Suzdalsky District in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, which is located along the Kamenka tributary of the Nerl (Klyazma), Nerl River, north o ...

in 1950; and Leninogorsk - a monument 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 ...

- in 1957. Later in his career he exhibited in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

and

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 ...

. Azgur's home and studio in Minsk is now a museum. Azgur is the uncle of Jewish Belarusian partisan

Masha Bruskina Maria "Masha" Bruskina ( ''Marïya Barïsawna Bruskina''; ; 1924 – 26 October 1941 in Minsk), was a Belarusian Jewish teenage nurse and a communist martyr to the anti-fascist resistance during the early years of World War II, as well as ...

, publicly hanged by the Nazis in october 1941 in

. Soon after the war, he immediately recognized Masha in the dreadful photographs exposed as he was visiting the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War. First claiming her identity, but then he retraced his steps.

Honours and awards

Hero of Socialist Labour The Hero of Socialist Labour () was an Title of honor, honorific title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries from 1938 to 1991. It represented the highest degree of distinction in the USSR and was awarded for exceptional achievem ...

*Two

Orders of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

Order of the October Revolution The Order of the October Revolution (, ''Orden Oktyabr'skoy Revolyutsii'') was instituted on 31 October 1967, in time for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. It was conferred upon individuals or groups for services furthering communis ...

*Two Orders of the Red Banner of Labour *

Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 1930 but its statute was only defined in decree of the Presidium of the ...

Order of Friendship of Peoples The Order of Friendship of Peoples () was an order of the Soviet Union, and was awarded to persons (including non-citizens), organizations, enterprises, military units, as well as administrative subdivisions of the USSR for accomplishments in s ...

Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" The Medal "For the Victory Over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union established on May 9, 1945, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to denote military partici ...

Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" The Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" () was a World War II civilian labour award of the Soviet Union established on June 6, 1945 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to recognise the valian ...

* Medal "To a Partisan of the Patriotic War" 1st class *

Medal "Veteran of Labour" The Medal "Veteran of Labour" () was a civilian labour award of the Soviet Union established on January 18, 1974, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to honour workers for many years of hard work in the national economy ...

*Two Stalin Prizes *Title of People's Artist of the USSR (visual arts)

References

*John Milner. ''A Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Artists, 1420 - 1970''. Woodbridge, Suffolk; Antique Collectors' Club, 1993
Overview of the museum

External links

1908 births 1995 deaths People from Syanno district People from Sennensky Uyezd Belarusian Jews Jews from the Russian Empire Soviet Jews Communist Party of Byelorussia politicians Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR (1947–1950) Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR (1951–1954) Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR (1955–1959) Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR (1959–1962) Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR (1962–1966) Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR (1971–1974) Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR (1975–1979) Belarusian sculptors Jewish sculptors Soviet sculptors Repin Institute of Arts alumni National Academy of Visual Arts and Architecture alumni Full Members of the USSR Academy of Arts People's Artists of the USSR (visual arts) People's Artists of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (visual arts) Heroes of Socialist Labour Recipients of the Stalin Prize Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the October Revolution Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Recipients of the Order of the Red Star Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples {{Belarus-sculptor-stub