VATAGIN Vasily Alexeevich

December 20, 1883 (Moscow) — May 30, 1969 (Moscow)

Sculptor, painter, graphic artist

Vasily Vatagin studied in the art studio of N. A. Martynov in Moscow (1899–1902). Later he studied at the faculty of natural science of Moscow University (1902–1907), from which he graduated with degree of candidate of zoological science. In 1904–1906 Vatagin attended the School of K. F. Yuon and I. O. Dudin. He traveled to Finland, England, Germany, France, Greece, Italy and India. In 1910 he studied lithography under the guidance of K. F. Kapstein in Berlin.

Vatagin lived in Moscow and in Tarusa. He worked mainly as animal painter in easel and monumental decorative sculpture, small-scale sculpture; he worked with different materials, including wood, majolica, marble, and ivory.

Vatagin took part in the project of Monumental propaganda; he created monument of Andrey Rublev for Moscow (1918). He also was engaged in book graphic art. He drew illustrations to Russian folk fairy-tale Cat, cock and fox (1915), to the books Parrot Jean, Gnu, Jacklight, Giraffe by A. Cheklok (1915), Mowgli by R. Kipling (1926, 1934), Stories about animals by L. N. Tolstoy (1933) and others. He drew a series of sketches in Berlin Zoo (1926).

Since 1909 Vatagin was a member and active participant of exhibitions of Moscow Association of Artists, in 1926–1932 — the Society of Russian Sculptors. He took part in the exhibitions of the Union of Russian Artists (1922–1923), the group Art of Movement (1925), the group Ob’edinennoye Iskusstvo (OBIS, “United Art”; 1925), the group Zhar-Tsvet (“Fiery flower”; 1928, 1929). He exposed his works at the exhibition The Russian Lithography for 25 years in Petrograd (1923), the 14th and 16th International art exhibitions in Venice (1924, 1928), the International exhibition of fine and decorative arts in Paris (1925), the exhibitions Engraving of the USSR for 10 years in Moscow, Russian Drawing for 10 years of October Revolution in Moscow, Art of the Book in Leipzig (all — 1927), the exhibition Artists of the RSFSR for 15 years in Leningrad and  Moscow (1932–1934) and others. The personal exhibitions of the artist were held in Moscow (1909, 1926, 1964, 1965) and in Leningrad (1965).

In 1922–1961 (with intervals) Vatagin worked in the State Darwin Museum of Natural History in Moscow; he founded the art fund of the Museum. Vatagin as a monumental artist was engaged in design of the Darwin Museum, the State Museum of Ethnology (1924–1929), the Zoological Museum of Moscow University (1931-1955). Vatagin wrote book Notes of animal painter (Moscow 1957).

Vatagin delivered lectures at the First State Free Art Studios (1919), at the faculty of print and graphics of the Higher State Artistic and Technical Workshops (VKhUTEMAS, 1922), at the faculty of ceramics of Moscow Higher School of Industrial Art (1963–1969; professor).

In 1952 Vatagin was awarded the Stalin Prize; in 1964 he was conferred the title of the People’s Artist of the RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic); in 1967 he became a member of the USSR Academy of Arts; in 1967 he was laureate of the I. E. Repin State Prize of RSFSR.

Retrospective exhibition of Vatagin was held in Moscow (1984–1985). In 2008/2009 large expositions of Vatagin’s works were organized in the Darwin Museum and in the State Tretyakov Gallery, and were dedicated to the 125th anniversary of artist’s birth.

Works by Vasily Vatagin are in many museum collections, including the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, the State Darwin Museum of Natural History and others.