He studied at the
Academy of Arts (1902-1905) in
Munich. Until 1909, he worked in
Paris and then in Moscow. Member of the CPSU
(B) in 1945 and was buried at
Novodevichy Cemetery.
Heroic characters embodied
monumental, generalized
forms. Among the works Merkurov -
monuments KA Timiryazev
(Moscow, 1923), Stepan Shaumyan
(Yerevan, 1931, p Shaumyan
Merkurov tied friendships
relationship), the statue of Lenin (1939;
Moscow, The Grand Kremlin
Palace), high relief "Shooting 26
Baku commissars "(Baku, 1946
g). Author tombstones in
Kremlin wall - FE
Dzerzhinsky, AA Zhdanov, MI
Kalinin, NM. Sverdlov, M.
Frunze.
In 1937, which has become in the minds of
many a symbol of repression, the
channel them. Moscow project
Merkurov were two
monumental granite
statues of Lenin and Stalin. On
their construction took about
twenty rail
compositions of coarse gray
pink granite, and
separate blocks weighing up to one hundred
tons. At work, employed 670
granitchikov and about five thousand
workers. Most of the
Builders were
prisoners.
In 1940, a marble sculpture
Stalin project Merkurov
graced the All-Union
Agricultural Exhibition.
After the war Merkurov created yet
a statue of the leader, this time from
wrought copper, for a memorial in
Yerevan. Both works were
awarded the Stalin Prize
(1941, 1951), and the author was awarded the
title of People's Artist of the USSR
and elected a member of
Academy of Arts.
E. Gromov wrote: "In the same
relict impasse as
painting, was a decisive
degree and Soviet sculpture.
Was a gifted sculptor C.
Mercury. But, like A. Tolstoy
the same A. Gerasimov, he
too fond of the pleasures of life,
fame and honor. And there was, in the final
account typical court
sculptor. In the 30 years Merkurov
sculpts figures that larger and
pomassivnee. First prize
degree will be granted to him for
monumental image
Stalin for Union
Agricultural Exhibition and
Lenin in the meeting room
Supreme Soviet of the USSR "(Gromov E.
Stalin: power and art. M.
1998. S. 305).
Interestingly, according to the NKVD,
Mercury in the 1920s was
a member of the Masonic Lodge "Single
Labour Brotherhood ", and after
the defeat of the box he was KGB
the only brother Masons,
who died a natural death. Why
fate was merciful
directly to him? Clue, apparently,
to be found in his work.
"The great leader of all time
people "appreciated artists
culture, if it was sure that they
Talent will serve his glory (Grekov
TI Tibetan medicine in Russia.
SPb., 1998. Pp. 279-280).