Alexei Sotnikov

Sculptor, graphic artist, applied artist. Born in the family of Georgy Sotnikov in the village of Mikhailovskaya in the Kuban (1904). Studied at the Krasnodar Pedagogical College of Art (1925–28) and under Vladimir Tatlin, Pavel Kuznetsov, Lev Bruni, David Sterenberg and Ivan Yefimov at the VKhUTEIN in Moscow (1928–31). Worked under Vladimir Tatlin for Narkompros RSFSR (1931–34), Mitrofan Grekov Studio of War Artists (1942–45) and at the Dulyovo Porcelain Factory in Moscow Region (1934–late 1980s), where he designed the falcon (1957) later adopted as the official factory crest (1964). Honoured Artist of the RSFSR (1978). Died in Moscow (1989). Contributed to exhibitions, including All Creatures Great and Small: Russian Animal Art (18th to 21st Centuries) at the Russian Museum in St Petersburg (2004), Expo ‘58 in Brussels (1958, grand prix) and a one-man show in Moscow (1977).