Paolo Troubetzkoy facts for kids

Portrait of Paolo Troubetzkoy by Valentin Serov

Portrait of Troubetzkoy, etching, by Anders Zorn, 1909

This picture shows reporter Marguerite Martyn (center) sketching Paolo Troubetzkoy and his wife, Elin Sundström.

Paolo Troubetzkoy (born February 15, 1866 – died February 12, 1938) was a famous artist and sculptor. He was born in Intra, Italy, and passed away in Pallanza, Italy. A famous writer, George Bernard Shaw, once called him "the most astonishing sculptor of modern times." Paolo was born into the old and important Trubetskoy family.

Life of a Sculptor

Paolo Troubetzkoy was the son of a Russian diplomat, Prince Peter Petrovich Troubetzkoy. His mother was a singer named Ada Winans. Even though he didn't go to a formal art school, he taught himself how to sculpt. He did learn some things from another sculptor, Giuseppe Grandi.

Paolo's art style is often linked to impressionism. This means he was good at capturing quick, lively movements in his bronze sculptures. He was inspired by other great sculptors like Auguste Rodin and Medardo Rosso. His works often showed people from the fancy society of his time.

One of his most famous and largest works is a huge statue of the Russian Tsar Alexander III. This statue is in St. Petersburg, Russia. It was first put up in 1909. After the Russian Revolution in 1917, the government moved the statue. Later, in 1994, it was moved again to a new spot in front of the Marble Palace.

Paolo also created a well-known 35-centimeter tall sculpture of Constance Stewart-Richardson called "The Dancer." His art was even part of the art competition at the 1912 Summer Olympics.

Why He Was a Vegetarian

Paolo Troubetzkoy was a vegetarian. This means he chose not to eat meat. His friend, the writer George Bernard Shaw, once joked that Troubetzkoy was a "terrifying humanitarian" who could do anything with an animal except eat it.

Alexandra Tolstoy, the daughter of the famous writer Leo Tolstoy, wrote about Paolo. She said her father liked him very much. She described Paolo as a "sweet and childlike person" who loved sculpture more than anything. He would refuse meat by saying, "Je ne mange pas de cadavre!" which means "I don't eat dead bodies!"

Paolo even had a small "zoo" in his studio in St. Petersburg. He had a bear, a fox, a horse, and even a vegetarian wolf! He explained his choice not to eat meat by saying, "As I cannot kill I cannot authorize others to kill." He believed that buying meat meant you were telling someone else to kill animals.

His Family Life

Paolo Troubetzkoy was married two times. His first wife was a Swedish woman named Elin Sundström. His second wife was a British woman named Muriel Marie Boddam. He had a son who sadly passed away when he was very young. In the same year, Paolo created a sculpture called "Maternity."

Gallery

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  Bust of Gabriele D'Annunzio, 1892.

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  Isaac Levitan, 1899

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  Princess M.N. Gagarina with her daughter, Marina, 1898

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  Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, 1899

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  Children (N.S and V.S Troubetzkoy), 1900

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  Sergei Witte with his setter, 1901

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  Friends, 1901

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  Monument to Alexander III of Russia in front of the Marble Palace

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  Lady Standing, 1927, Bass-Dwyer Collection

Art Shows

Paolo Troubetzkoy's sculptures were shown in many important art exhibitions.

• He won a big prize at the Paris Expo in 1900.
• His art was displayed at the De Young Museum.
• He had 37 works shown at the Biennale di Venezia in 1922.
• His art was also shown at the Galleria Nazionale in Rome.

Images for kids

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  Paolo Troubetzkoy, Portrait of Mrs. Troubetzkoy.

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  Paolo Troubetzkoy, Portrait of Leo Tolstoy, 1890.

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  Paolo Troubetzkoy, Memorial to Italian Soldiers of WWI, 1923.

See also

In Spanish: Paolo Troubetzkoy para niños