Omar Eldarov

Born on December 21, 1927 in Derbent, Dagestan Omar Hasan oglu Eldarov is an Azerbaijani monumentalist sculptor, Honoured Art Worker of Azerbaijan (1961), People's Painter of Azerbaijan (1982), full member of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan (2001), full member of the Russian Academy of Arts (1988), president of Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Arts (2001), and academician. From 1

942 to 1945 studied at Azim Azimzade Azerbaijan State Art School. In 1951, graduated from the Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture named after I.Y.Repin. Was the student of such great masters as A.T.Matveyev, M.A.Kerzin, V.B.Pinchuk. In 1980, he was awarded the USSR State Prize for monument-ensemble to Sadriddin Ayni in Dushanbe (1979). Omar Eldarov is the holder of the "Order of the Badge of Honour".[3] He was awarded the State Prize of the Azerbaijan SSR for the monument to P.A.Dzhaparidze in Baku (1980). The most famous works of the master are-monument to Fizuli in Baku (1962), with the sculptor Tokay Mammadov), for which he was awarded silver medal of the USSR Academy of Arts; monument to Natavan (1960), Baku, with architects E.Ismayilov and F.Leontyev); conductor Niyazi's portrait (1984); "Head of laughing worker" (1984); "Mahatma Gandhi" (1987); "Avicenna" (1980); Rabindranath Tagore (1987); portraits of Aysel (1988), Ayten (1988). The author of Sattar Bahlulzade's portrait, Muslim Mogomayev's bust, monument to Huseyn Javid (1993), monument to Mammed Amin Rasulzade (1995), Azim Azimzade (2002), Rashid Behbudov's bas-relief (2002), Nizami Ganjavi's bust in Cheboksary (2004), gravestones of Zarifa Aliyeva, Heydar Aliyev, Sikh-Ali Gurbanov, Tofig Guliyev in the Alley of Honorable Burial in Baku, gravestone and bas-relief of Uzeyir Hajibeyov in Vienna (2005), Niyazi's bas-relief (2006), monument to Heydar Aliyev in Nakhchivan (2006), monument to İhsan Doğramacı in Ankara (2003), memorial plaque of Tofig Guliyev (2006), memorial plaques of Heydar Aliyev and academician Zarifa Aliyeva (2008). Omar Eldarov was awarded "Gold medal" for the contribution and development of Azerbaijani visual arts during solemn ceremonies dedicated to 65th anniversary of the Azerbaijan Artists Union. He was awarded commemorative medal "For merits for Academy in honor of 250th anniversary", in the honor of 250th anniversary of the Russian Academy of Arts [2007). From 1995 to 2000, Omar Eldarov was the deputy of Milli Majlis - the National Assembly of Azerbaijan. Omar Eldarov is the author of a number of statues and monuments eternalizing the memories of Azerbaijan’s eminent figures. In each of his works, he reveals individual features of the person he describes, and expresses moral and humanistic traits of his character, along with portrait resemblance. The eminent artist engraves in his works the typical pose allowing to guess unique features of a human’s inner world, his gesture, and the behavioural features of such a person. Statue to Azerbaijani people’s national leader Heydar Aliyev, graveside monument to eminent ophthalmologist, academician Zarifa Aliyeva, and “Elegy” dedicated to her memory are Omar Eldarov’s famous works. Omar Eldarov is an eminent monumentalist who has been honoured with a number of awards and honorary titles by the state. In 1960, he was conferred on the title of Honoured Person of Art of the Azerbaijan SSR, being elected a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Art in 1967. In 1980, for the creation of a statue-ensemble to Tajik writer and educationist Sadraddin Ayni in Dushanbe city he was awarded the State Prize of the USSR. In 1982, he was conferred on the State Prize of Azerbaijan, in 1997, the order of “Independence”, in 2009, the Heydar Aliyev Prize, and in 2017, the order of “Heydar Aliyev”. The geography of his creativity is not confined to the boundaries of Azerbaijan. Omar Eldarov is the author of the monument in Sevastopol erected to the 77th Azerbaijani division that was a participant of the attack starting from the Sapun Mount during the World War 2. Works by the sculptor have been erected in a number of other countries. Omar Eldarov is not only an author of monumental works. He has also created a number of easel sculpture samples.