Alexander Ney

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Alexander Ney (born September 1939 in Leningrad, Soviet Union) is an American sculptor and painter. He grew up during World War II, including the Siege of Leningrad, and studied at the Leningrad Art School, the Repin Institute, and the Moscow Surikov Institute. He became known for terra cotta sculptures with heavily perforated surfaces and inventive forms, as well as mixed-media works. His notable works include Burning Bush and The Thinker. Ney formed friendships with Russian avant-garde artists and taught sculpture to children in Leningrad before leaving the Soviet Union in 1972 because of restrictions under Socialist Realism. He lived in France in the early 1970s, with studios in Paris and Nice, then moved to the United States in 1974, settling in New York City. Elaine de Kooning encouraged his move to America, and Gene Moore of Tiffany & Co. began presenting his work there in 1978, a relationship that lasted for decades. In 1997 a fire at his Diamond District home and studio destroyed thousands of his artworks. In 2009 Moscow's National Centre for Contemporary Arts held a commemorative exhibition for his 70th birthday, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg praised him as a symbol of the immigrant contribution to the city’s culture. Ney’s works are held in major public and private collections around the world.