The famous sculptor, Honored Art Worker of the RSFSR, Corresponding Member of the Academy of Arts of the USSR Sarra Dmitriyevna Lebedeva was born on December 11, 1892, in St. Petersburg. She came from a wealthy intellectual family, was a homeschooler, and passed exams as an external student. The girl’s artistic talent was evident early and was noticed by her art teacher. Lebedeva began to attend classes at the School of the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of Arts. Her serious studies in painting and sculpture began a little later, when she was studying at Berstein’s private school and in Sherwood’s workshop. In those years, they were the most advanced art educational institutions in St. Petersburg that were free from academicism. Studying there allowed Lebedeva to find her vocation — sculpture. In the period from 1912 to 1914, Lebedeva traveled to France, Germany, Austria, and Italy, where she got acquainted with the work of great artists who influenced her style a lot.

After the 1917 revolution, Lebedeva was not only an artist, but also a teacher. Her serious work as a portrait sculptor began only in 1925, when she completed a bust of Felix Dzerzhinsky. Lebedeva became famous in art history as a brilliant sculptor creating smaller portrait sculptures. She depicted people of different professions and ages, but always with the utmost truth. In her works, Lebedeva not only conveyed the resemblance, but also dealt with the transience of life, and the complexity and versatility of human nature. The only method she trusted was modeling from nature. The sculptor analyzed her subject and found a unique solution for each sitter. Looking attentively at her sculptures, we get to know the person together with the sculptor.

In 1943, Lebedeva worked on a portrait of Alexander Goldenweiser. The sculptor and the pianist lived in the same house and used neighboring entrances. Alexander Goldenweiser recorded each session with Lebedeva in his diary. A review of the sculptor’s finished work was preserved,