Aronsohn Naum Lvovich (1872-1943)

Aronsohn Naum Lvovich (1872, Kreslavka, Vitebsk Governorate, now Krāslava, Latvia – 1943, New York, USA) – sculptor.

Naum Aronsohn received his initial artistic education at the Vilna Drawing School and, from 1891, studied at the School of Decorative Arts and the Académie Colarossi in Paris. From 1897, he participated in numerous exhibitions, including the “Exhibition of Paintings and Sculptures by Jewish Artists” (Moscow, 1917).

Aronsohn was one of the founders of the Society of Friends of Jewish Music in Paris and a benefactor of Jewish orphanages in Kreslavka (now Krāslava) and Dvinsk (now Daugavpils). His work was profoundly influenced by Auguste Rodin.

Notable Works:

  • 1901 – Created a sculptural portrait of Leo Tolstoy in Yasnaya Polyana. He later gained renown as a master of sculptural portraiture, creating busts of Dante, Spinoza, Chopin, Turgenev, Lenin, and others.

  • Monumental sculptures: Moses, The Prophet, Spartacus, and a monument to Ludwig van Beethoven in Bonn (1906).

  • While traveling from Russia to the Netherlands, he sculpted busts of heroes of the Anglo-Boer War, now housed in the Pretoria Museum.

  • 1905 – Presented a bust of Beethoven at the International Exhibition in Liège (Belgium).

  • 1922 – Created a bust of Louis Pasteur for the Pasteur Institute in Paris.

  • 1930s – Produced several works for the Moscow Metro.

Aronsohn was a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honour, France’s highest distinction.

From 1941, he lived in the United States, passing away in New York City in 1943.