(ECNS) — A Chinese sculptor's commemorative portrait of Soviet sculptor Nikolai Klindukhov was handed over at the Russian Academy of Arts on Thursday, marking 70 years since Klindukhov arrived in China to teach.
From March 1956 to June 1958, Klindukhov was invited to the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing to train sculptors. During his two-year tenure, he taught 23 prominent Chinese sculptors.
In March 2026, Klindukhov's descendants commissioned Liu Jiexiu, a Chinese sculptor and assistant professor at the Moscow Surikov State Academic Institute of Fine Arts, to craft a memorial portrait of Klindukhov and replicate a sculpture Klindukhov created in 1984 on the theme of peace.
At the handover ceremony, Klindukhov's son praised Liu's portrait, commending how faithfully it captured his father's likeness in middle age.
The son also thanked Liu and his team for their work on the replica. After Klindukhov died, his studio passed through multiple owners, and the family held none of his original works. The replica restores a piece of the sculptor's legacy to his family.
Liu said that he and his team completed both works voluntarily. The significance of this handover extends far beyond commemorating one sculptor or the two artworks, he said.
"It connects an artistic heritage passed down across generations of sculptors and embodies a bond founded on mutual respect, trust and friendship," he said.
(By Zhang Dongfang)
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