Georgian-Russian artist Zurab Tseretli dies at the age of 91

Georgian-Russian artist Zurab Tsereteli, known for his giant and often controversial monuments, died at the age of 91.

The sculptor, painter and architect, born in Tbilisi, shared the opinion of large -scale projects in Moscow, including a massive monument 98 m (321 feet) to King Peter the Great, who glorified the city gloriously.

Rising to glory in the Soviet era, Tsereteli headed the team of designers of the Moscow Olympic Games in 1980, and later built large sculptures in cities around the world.

He was also known for his proximity to the Russian political elite, once said that Vladimir Putin’s “healthy soul” inspired him to study the Russian president.

Tsereteli was a close friend of Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov, and his position within the top crust of the Soviet Union allowed him to travel outside the country where Pablo Picasso met in Paris.

Russian Foreign Ministry’s press -secretary Maria Zakharova said that Tseretheli was a “artist of world fame, a public figure who did not know the borders and obstacles in strengthening peace and support for creativity” in a social media report.

“He will live not only in our hearts, but also in his works,” she added.

During a number of Peter the Great Monument in 2010, several Moscow residents said BBC that they hated sculpturewhich is 98 m slightly higher than the statue of freedom.

Despite the time of the frosty reception received by his works, Tsereteli was widely respected worldwide and held the post of president of the Russian Academy of Arts.

Its huge designs can be found in cities around the world, including a monument to Christopher Columbus in Seville, Spain, and in the Georgian Chronicles monument in Tbilisi’s hometown.

They also include a ten-story tears of sadness that honor the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks in New Jersey. It was represented by the United States by the Russian government.

Another sculpture, a good saver, sits at the UN headquarters in New York. It depicts St. George, who kills the Dragon, which is among the broken fragments of the United States and Soviet missiles.

The work is “a nuclear war through a historical treaty between the Soviet Union and the US,” the UN website reports.

In 2006, Tsereteli caused disputes in a small French city, which erected his huge bronze statue of Pope John Paul II. Opponents said the statue violated the laws on secular France.

At 110 m (360 feet), a colossal monument to Ceretheli before Christopher Columbus “Birth of a New World”, is one of the highest sculptures on earth. In the end, it was built in Puert -Trik, after several US cities dismissed it.

He also conducted smaller bronze studies of major figures, including Princess Diana and Putin.

Tereteli was also an artist – in particular flowers – and an architect who took a key role in the reconstruction of the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior.