Nikolay Shmatko facts for kids

Nikolay Havrylovych Shmatko (1943–2020) was a talented Ukrainian sculptor and painter. He was born in the Donetsk region of Ukraine.

Life and Art of Nikolay Shmatko

Nikolay Shmatko started his journey as a sculptor when he was 33 years old. Before that, he worked as a firefighter. In 1996, he met Dina Vierny, a well-known model and art gallery owner, in France. She believed he had a bright future and told him to keep his artworks together instead of selling them everywhere.

Shmatko's Creative Works

During his career, Nikolay Shmatko created more than 750 different sculptures and about 500 paintings. He loved working with marble, finding inspiration in European culture and art.

His studio and gallery displayed many of his creations. These included 100 sculptures, with over 70 made from beautiful Ural and Italian marble. He also had 30 plaster models and about 300 pictures, including paintings, drawings, and architectural designs. His works ranged from simple decorations to detailed bas-relief (sculptures that stick out slightly from a flat surface) and high relief busts and full sculptures. Shmatko also worked on architecture projects.

Awards and Special Projects

In 2004, Nikolay Shmatko received a special award for his sculpture called "Sviatohorska Blessed Virgin." This statue of the Virgin Mary was made for the Sviato-Uspenskyi Sviatohorskyi Monastery. He was given the Order of Nestor Letopisets by Volodymyr Sabodan, who was the Metropolitan of Kyiv and all of Ukraine.

In the autumn of 2005, a new church, the Transfiguration church, opened in the village of Keleberda. Shmatko created a special marble sculpture called "The Crucifixion" just for this church.

In 2012, Nikolay Shmatko and his family moved to the city of Mukachevo.

Art Exhibitions

Nikolay Shmatko's art was shown in several important exhibitions:

• 2007: He participated in the Biennale di Firenze in Italy. He won 4th place for his sculpture and installation work.
• 2009: He returned to the Biennale di Firenze in Italy as a participating artist.
• 2012: His works were displayed at ArtMonaco in Monaco.

Works in Public Collections

One of Shmatko's sculptures, a bust of Ivan Maksymovych Soshenko, is kept in the museum of Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg.

Images for kids

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  Sviatohorska Blessed Virgin
  Sviato-Uspenska
  Sviatohirsk Lavra
  Sviatohirsk, Ukraine

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  Ivan Soshenko

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  Taras Shevchenko
  Luhansk Taras Shevchenko National University

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  A robot illustration, representing technology.