Portrait of N.N Nikolsky

Borís Danílovich Korolyóv (or Korolev); (1884/85–1963) was a Soviet sculptor-monumentalist, teacher and public figure. As an artist, Korolyóv stood at the origins of the Soviet school of sculpture, its mainstream, but he also was one of the leading figures in the avant-garde movement. In the 1920s he played a prime role in the realization of Lenin's plan of monumental propaganda. In his own sculptural works, Korolyóv combined Realism with elements of Impressionism and Cubism. Born in Moscow and educated at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture under Sergei Volnukhin, Korolev was a committed revolutionary, deported twice for his political activity, and a leading figure of avant-garde sculpture in revolutionary Russia.