Igor Ustinov

His Life

Igor Ustinov, sculptor and trained opera singer, was born in London, the son of Sir Peter Ustinov and the Canadian actress Suzanne Cloutier, Igor enjoyed an international education. He studied art at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts in Paris, graduated in biology from the Paris VII and studied singing at the Paris Conservatory. Despite the "Ustinovian" versatility of interests, the focus of his work is in the field of sculpture. One of his teachers was none other than César Baldaccini - one of the most renowned French sculptors and an important representative of the "Nouveau Realisme". Igor Ustinov is co-founder of the Peter Ustinov Foundation which has been under his leadership since 2004.

But not only as an artist, Igor Ustinov also made a name for himself as an inventor. At the 45th International Inventions Fair in Geneva, he was awarded the "Prize of the International Federation of Inventors Associations (IFIA)" for the "Best Invention" for the "Ustinov Construction System" which helps combat the global housing crisis, as well as the pollution caused by plastic waste through the recycling of used PET.

Foundation

His Work

His Work

"It is metal that perpetuates the human presence," says Igor Ustinov, who works with bronze. The bulk of his work shows the movement of life. Especially associations with dance, since many famous Ustinov family members designed sets and costumes for the ballet and the opera, like his grandmother Nadia Benois. Igor Ustinov models elegant, oversized bronze sculptures, often striving upwards, freezing a special moment in life. His sculptures usually have no face, the heads are highly abstracted and reminiscent of the number "1". There is a trans-personal and supratemporal reality in his work. The material of bronze underlines the energy of the movement and sets accents of light and shadow. "I want to capture time in a work of art", says Igor Ustinov.

 

Humanitarian Committment

Humanitarian Committment

In addition to the inevitable artistic ambitions of the Ustinovs, Igor Ustinov is socially engaged and, above all, continues his father's humanitarian legacy. To this end, together with his father in 1999, he founded the Peter Ustinov Foundation of which he is chairman. He is an active member of the advisory board of the Ustinov Institute in Vienna. The Ustinov Prejudice Awareness Forum was created under his direction and patronage, which serves as an exchange platform and promotes social diversity and cosmopolitanism. Public figures can be found here, together with members of the Vienna Ustinov Institute and the Ustinov College in Durham, UK. Igor Ustinov is also involved in other foundations as a board member, e.g. in the Foundation "Winds of Hope", Lausanne, Switzerland. and the Carène Foundation, Zermatt, Switzerland which promotes education and the preservation of tradition.

In dialogue with Igor

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