Sudbinin, Serafim

Biography

Was born in 1867 in Nizhny Novgorod. Came from the Golovastikovs’ family of merchants, of the bonded peasants from Bogorodskoe village, Nizhny Novgorod province. The family had been rich, but by the time of Serafim's birth, they were practically paupers. His grandfather was the iconographer.

S. N. Golovastikov spent his childhood with his brother and mother in Nizhny Novgorod. Worked as a telegraph operator. Participated in the amateur performances when he had leisure time. Joined the troupe of entrepreneur Belsky in Nizhny Novgorod theatre in 1881-1891, performed under a pseudonym "Sudbinin". Together with D.A. Belsky left for Astrakhan in 1892. Performed in the troupes of provincial theatres. Was enrolled to the all-star cast of the Moscow Art theatre in May 1898, participated in the very first performance of the theater ("Tzar Fyodor Ioanovich"). Was over parted in all core theater performances ("Antigone", "The Twelfth Night", «The Burgess », the plays of Ibsen, Hauptmann, etc.). In the play "the Lower Depths" alternately with K. S. Stanislavsky impersonated Satin.

In the early 1900s, Sudbinin became increasingly interested in sculpture, painting and photography. After visiting Paris in 1904, Sudbinin decided to devote himself to sculpture. A grant awarded by Savva Morozov enabled him to study sculpture under Leopold Sinaeff-Bernstein (until 1906) and Auguste Rodin (from 1906). After exhibiting a series of Sleeping Monsters at the Salon dAutomne (1906), he became a member of the Society of Russian Artists (1906) and Salon d'Automne (1908).

His best-known sculptures are "Sisyphus", "Cherubini at Rest", "Maxim Gorky", "Anna Pavlova", "Feodor Chaliapin", "Chalyapin as Romeo", "Skryabin" and "Leonid Sobinov". His exhibitions at the Moscow Fellowship of Artists (1903), Salon d'Automne (from 1906), Salon de la Nationale, Sergei Makovsky Salon (1909), Society of Russian Artists (1906–16), Les Ballets Russes de Serge Diaghilev in Paris (1939), International exhibitions in Venice (1907), Munich (1909) and Rome (1911), the exhibitions of Russian art in Paris (1906, 1920, 1932), Venice (1920), London (1921), New York (1923), Belgrade (1930) and Prague (1935), as well as individual exhibitions in New York (1923), Paris (1934, 1939) and San Francisco (1935) won him much popularity.

After the October Revolution Sudbinin left for Paris. He visited the United States (1922–24), wh ere he created ceramic vases and figurines of animals. His Paris studio was destroyed in an air raid during the World War II. Serafim Sudbinin died in 1944 in Paris.

Was born in 1867 in Nizhny Novgorod. Came from the Golovastikovs’ family of merchants, of the bonded peasants from Bogorodskoe village, Nizhny Novgorod province. The family had been very rich, but to the time Serafim birth, they were practically paupers. His grandfather was the iconographer.

S. N. Golovastikov spent his childhood with his brother and mother in Nizhny Novgorod. Worked as a telegraph operator. Participated in the amateur performances when he had leisure time. Joined the troupe of entrepreneur Belsky in Nizhny Novgorod theatre in 1881-1891, performed under a pseudonym "Sudbinin". Together with D.A. Belsky left for Astrakhan in 1892. Performed in the troupes of provincial theatres. Was enrolled to the all-star cast of the Moscow Art theatre in May 1898, participated in the very first performance of the theater ("Tzar Fyodor Ioanovich"). Was over parted in all core theater performances ("Antigone", "The Twelfth Night", «The Burgess », the plays of Ibsen, Hauptmann, etc.). In the play "the Lower Depths" alternately with K. S. Stanislavsky impersonated Satin.

In the early 1900s, Sudbinin became increasingly interested in sculpture, painting and photography. After visiting Paris in 1904, Sudbinin decided to devote himself to sculpture. A grant awarded by Savva Morozov enabled him to study sculpture under Leopold Sinaeff-Bernstein (until 1906) and Auguste Rodin (from 1906). After exhibiting a series of Sleeping Monsters at the Salon dAutomne (1906), he became a member of the Society of Russian Artists (1906) and Salon d'Automne (1908).

His best-known sculptures are "Sisyphus", "Cherubini at Rest", "Maxim Gorky", "Anna Pavlova", "Feodor Chaliapin", "Chalyapin as Romeo", "Skryabin" and "Leonid Sobinov". His exhibitions at the Moscow Fellowship of Artists (1903), Salon d'Automne (from 1906), Salon de la Nationale, Sergei Makovsky Salon (1909), Society of Russian Artists (1906–16), Les Ballets Russes de Serge Diaghilev in Paris (1939), International exhibitions in Venice (1907), Munich (1909) and Rome (1911), the exhibitions of Russian art in Paris (1906, 1920, 1932), Venice (1920), London (1921), New York (1923), Belgrade (1930) and Prague (1935), as well as individual exhibitions in New York (1923), Paris (1934, 1939) and San Francisco (1935) won him much popularity.

After the October Revolution Sudbinin left for Paris. He visited the United States (1922–24), wh ere he created ceramic vases and figurines of animals. His Paris studio was destroyed in an air raid during the World War II. Serafim Sudbinin died in 1944 in Paris.

Exhibits in the Museum Collection