KontinentUSA                                                     January 16, 2003

SCULPTOR’S «GOLDEN» ANNIVERSARY

These days Peter Shapiro, member of the World Academy of Art and Science; member of the National Sculptors Society; and member of Association of Russian Artists is turning 70.

This is not the only anniversary in his creative career. A son of a  famous Soviet chemical engineer and an American citizen who came to the Soviet Union right after graduating from college to build socialism, Peter Efimovich Shapiro went through all hardships destined for the son of the "enemies of the people". He was denied enrollment by all Soviet art schools.

Fortunately, that didn’t influence his choice of profession and didn’t stop him from serving the art of sculpting. Says Sapiro, "I can definitely say now that together with sculpting, we have shared a long, difficult, sometimes madly riveting, but very happy life. It is now our Golden Anniversary."

The first work by the sculptor  marked by his peers was a portrait of famous Russian author Leo Tolstoy,  presented at the art exhibition at Moscow in 1953. Another one of his early works recognized at the Moscow art exhibition in 1954 - sculpture of Ludwig van Beethoven - has found its home in the Beethoven Hall of the Bolshoi Theater of Moscow. The state E. Vachtangov theater is adorned with a bas-relief of its famous founder-director, created by the artist. Meanwhile, on another continent, in the capital of the United States, the Russia House in Connecticut Avenue features a monument sculpture of Academician Sakharov in front of the building. The monument, created by Peter Shapiro, was officially unveiled in 2002, as part of International Russian-American Forum agenda. The National Portrait Gallery in Washington features the sculpture of highly recognized American heart surgeon Michael DeBakey, created by the sculptor.

Peter devoted all his life to the art and to people. He "sculpted his contemporaries all his life", says the prominent Russian magazine Ogoniok. True to life, most of his art works were created after "live models". Music composers D.Schostakovich and A.Novikov, poetry writers P. Antokolsky and A.Vosnesensky, artist I.Glazunov, opera singer I.Kozlovsky, M.Rostropovich, academician A.Yakovlev, astronaut V.Lebedev, chess world champion A.Karpov, figure scater I.Rodnina, marshal G.Zhukov, former mayors of Moscow V.Promyslov and G.Popov, as well as prominent American statesmen Albert Gore, Robert MacNamara, Connie Morella posed for the extraordinary sculptor.

Peter has managed to fullfil many of his creative ideas. He created over 200 sculptures; most of them live their separate lives now, much like grown-up children separate from their parent. But the sculptor has a new baby - a model for the "Victims of Communism" monument. This sacred dream of his, unfortunately, is still in the model stage. American Fund for Victims of Communist Persecution is raising money to create a memorial in honor of all people executed by the Communist Government, and Shapiro’s sculpture is a part of this large memorial to be based in Washington, D.C.

People who have known Peter E. Shapiro for a long time highly value his kindness, and independent opinions of the artist and individual. The Academician A. Yakovlev wrote to Peter:

"Dear Peter Efimovich! It’s a miraculous art - to bring stone, clay, cement to life so well that you want to greet newborns and talk to them. In solemn and thoughtful faces of my contemporaries I see the world splitting in two, dividing the dead and the living. But all of them comprise the humankind - the happy, the wise, and the sad. Your art, my dear sculptor, is serving a great purpose - making man and humankind immortal. Best wishes to you!"

Our dear and beloved Peter, all your friends would like to sign this letter. May you have strong health and creative longevity!

May all of your plans and passionate dreams come true!

Michael and Yelena Giamber
Boris and Svetlana Kazinets
Oleg Kalugin
Edward and Tatiana Lozansky
Dan Mafison
Sergo Mikoyan
Reverend Victor and Maria Potapov
Galina Sviridova
Igor and Irina Tsesarsky
Jan Chovanek

* "golden anniversary" - in Russian means a 50-year mark.

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