Stepanian, Suren Levonovich

Born June 11 (23), 1895, in Elizavetpol’, present-day Kirovabad; died Dec. 29, 1971, in Yerevan. Soviet sculptor. People’s Artist of the Armenian SSR (1950).

In 1925, Stepanian graduated from the Moscow Vkhutemas (State Higher Arts and Technical Studios), where he was a student of B. D. Korolev. Beginning in 1927 he lived and worked in Armenia. Stepanian’s works combine intimate composition with a rendering of the unique forms of each of his models. He sculptured more than 500 portraits, including Portrait of Writer D. Demirchian (bronze, 1948, Picture Gallery of Armenia, Yerevan). He also did numerous free-standing compositions, such as Girl Basketball Players (bronze, 1955, Picture Gallery of Armenia). His works include monuments to Gukas Gukasian (Yerevan, granite, 1934), V. I. Lenin (Goris, basalt, 1940), and Kh. Abovian (Yerevan, bronze, 1950).

Stepanian was awarded various orders and medals.