Biography

The son of the author of works on Jewish theology. Began to cut out various items from grinding stone in his early childhood. From 1870 worked in the manufactory of M. Antokolsky in St. Petersburg. Carried out the ornaments on the throne of the statue of "Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the terrible" according to the drawings of F. Solntsev. In the fall of 1871 left for Italy with Antokolsky. On returning to St. Petersburg (summer 1872) studied in the Girs private school, then moved to the 2d non-classical secondary school and after graduating from it in 1878, he entered the Imperial Academy of Arts, where he studied until 1886 at A. R. von Bockh, N.F. Laveretsky and I.I. Podozerov.

At the same time, he attended the Imperial Society for Arts Encouragement Drawing school. In spring of 1880, being on a sick one year leave, he left for France. In winter of 1880-81 studied in Antokolsky’s Paris workshop and for several weeks he studied at Filippo Colarossi private art school. In spring of 1881 returned to St. Petersburg and returned to studying at the Imperial Academy of Arts. In 1885 received a small gold medal for the program "the Porter, Carrying the Dead Animal on his Shoulder" (plaster, Scientific-Research Museum of the Russian Academy of Arts). In 1886 Ginsburg was awarded with a gold medal and the title of the first class artist for the bas-relief "The of Prophet Jeremiah Cry on the Ruins of Jerusalem" (plaster, fragments, Scientific-Research Museum of the Russian Academy of arts, State Russian Museum). In 1911 was he was the titled the academician. In 1884, he visited France and Germany, in 1887 – Rome and Florence, in 1889 Paris. In 1892, he travelled in Western Europe. In 1897 in Italy (Verona, Padua, Pisa, Siena, Venice, Trieste), in 1902 and 1908 – in Paris, in 1909, visited A. M. Gorky on the island of Capri. Was awarded with the third class medal at the world exhibition in Paris in 1889, in 1900 – received the first gold medal, in 1904 – received a gold medal in St. Louis. Since 1912, Ginzburg became a full member of the Architects-Painters Society. He worked mainly in small sculpture forms. The author of the genre and portrait figurines. Executed a number of portrait busts of contemporaries – the greatest Russian artists, writers, scientists, actors, musicians and public persons. Worked in the field of monumental sculpture: created monuments to N. V. Gogol in Sorochintsy (1911, bronze, granite) and Ivan Aivazovsky in Feodosia (1915, bronze, granite), participated in contests for monuments to M. I. Glinka (1903) and A. N. Ostrovsky (1916). The author of the tombstones to Vladimir Stasov in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg (1908, granite), M. M. Antokolsky at the Preobrazhenskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg (1909), D. N. Mamin-Sibiryak in the Volkov cemetery in St. Petersburg (1915, granite), M. M. Kovalevsky, etc. Under the plan of monumental agitprop he created the statues of G. V. Plekhanov (1921-1925) and D. I. Mendeleev (1932) for Leningrad, as well as the sculptural groups "February 1917", "May celebrations", "In October days" (1962). In 1918-1925 being a professor, he headed the sculpture department of the Petrograd State Free Art Educational workshops. In 1921-1923, he was the sculpture department Dean. The author of numerous literary works, the memorials about his meetings encounters with artists, writers and public figures.