Sadikov Turgunbay – Kyrgyz sculptor and monumental artist, chairman of the cultural foundation of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, People's Artist of the USSR, People's Artist of the Kyrgyz SSR.
Born on November 4 (according to other sources – September 3) 1935 in the village of Govsuvor, Batken District, Osh Region of the Kyrgyz SSR (now the Republic of Kyrgyzstan). Kyrgyz.
In 1959, he graduated from the Frunze Art School (Frunze city, now Bishkek). From 1959 to 1961, he worked as an apprentice to sculptors V.A. Puzirevsky and S.T. Konenkov. From 1961 to 1964, he studied at the Higher Courses at the Moscow Higher Artistic and Industrial School (Moscow). Since 1964, he has been engaged in creative work in Frunze. From 1968 to 1982, he served as chairman of the Union of Artists of the Kyrgyz SSR.
From his first creative steps, he succeeded in creating compositions that embody typical aspects of folk life, psychology, and character. Among them are the sculptural works "Shepherd Boy" (1958), "Mother" (1958), "Portrait of a Milkmaid" (1965), and others. As his mastery grew, the individuality of the sculptor acquired new features: plasticity, flexibility of forms, masculinity, and a sense of modernity. His works "Herdsman" (1967), "Builders" (1966), "Conductor" (1966), "Weaver" (1978), "Shepherd" (1984) affirm the dignity and beauty of the working people of Kyrgyzstan. He is known as a major master of easel and monumental sculpture, enriching the spiritual life of the Kyrgyz people with his works. His monumental art is characterized by the scale of ideological and artistic content, originality of plastic solutions, and a vividly national expression of the universal and international. It also features an organic connection with the specific surrounding space. These include monuments in Bishkek – Friendship (1974), "To the Fighters of the Revolution" (1978), "Manas" (1981), "Victory Monument," "El Kutu" (1995). The richness of the spiritual world, the brilliance of the mind, and the depth of psychological state are emphasized by the artist in the sculptural portraits of medieval thinkers Yusuf Balasagyn and Mahmud Kashgari. A valuable contribution to the visual arts of Kyrgyzstan includes the portraits of contemporaries he prepared – builders, workers, cultural and scientific figures, and mothers, made from local materials. He made a significant contribution to the education of the republic. Thanks to his efforts, a system of continuous artistic education was established in Kyrgyzstan.
By a decree of the President of the USSR dated November 28, 1991, for outstanding achievements in the development of Soviet visual art and fruitful public activity, the sculptor, chairman of the cultural foundation of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, Sadikov Turgunbay, was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Medal "Sickle and Hammer".
Participant in republican and international exhibitions.
His works are housed in the Kyrgyz National Museum of Fine Arts named after G. Aitiev, in major museums in the CIS cities and abroad.
By a decree of the President of Kyrgyzstan dated February 4, 1997, for outstanding contributions to the development of monumental art, the establishment of a national school of sculptors, and active public activity, sculptor Turgunbay Sadikov was awarded the highest distinction – the title of Hero of Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyz Respublikasynyn Baatyry).
Since October 4, 2010, he has been the rector of the National Academy of Arts of the Kyrgyz Republic. He lives in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan).
People's Artist of the USSR (1986).
People's Artist of the Kyrgyz SSR. Academician of the Academy of Arts of the USSR and the Russian Federation (1988).
Laureate of the Lenin Prize, the Toktogul State Prize, and the Lenin Komsomol Prize of the Kyrgyz SSR.
Hero of the Kyrgyz Republic (February 4, 1997).
Awarded the Order of Lenin (November 28, 1991), the Order of the "Badge of Honor," medals, as well as the Gold Medal of the Academy of Arts of the USSR.
