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Lebedeva, Sarra (Dmitriyevna)
(b St Petersburg, 23 Dec 1892; d Moscow, 7 March 1967). Russian sculptor. She trained in St Petersburg in the studio of Leonid Shervud as well as in other studios. From 1925 she lived and worked in Moscow. In her mature works impressionistic modelling, extraordinarily sensitive to surface nuances of texture and light and shade, blends with a structural logic that bears witness to a heartfelt absorption of the lessons of Cubism. The profoundly psychological quality of Lebedeva’s work springs from her expressive modelling of her material and endows her subjects with a symbolic significance, while in no way overshadowing their individuality. For example, her bronze portrait of the chief of the secret police, Feliks Dzerzhinsky (1925; Moscow, Tret’yakov Gal.), is a striking embodiment of a menacing and merciless power. Lebedeva created a remarkable portrait gallery of personalities prominent in Russian culture (e.g. S. Mikhoels, 1939; A. Tvardovsky, 1943; both bronze, Moscow, Tret’yakov Gal.; and V. Tatlin, limestone, 1943–4; St Petersburg, Rus. Mus.). Her headstone for the grave of Boris Pasternak (sandstone, 1965) at Peredelkino, near Moscow, a stele, severe in its form, with a romantic, emotionally charged portrait of the poet in deep relief, is among the best examples of Russian memorial sculpture. She also created sculptures of a neo-classical equilibrium, such as Girl with Butterfly (plaster, 1935–6; hammered copper, 1956; St Petersburg, Rus. Mus.), and models for decorative items and sculptures in glazed earthenware (1934–6).
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