 |
Olga RapaySculptor-ceramist
Date of Birth: 01.08.1929
Country:  Israel |
Content:
Biography of Olga Rapai
Early Life and ImprisonmentOlga Rapai is a renowned Ukrainian sculptor and ceramic artist, and a highly respected figure in the world of Ukrainian ceramics. She was born on August 1, 1929, in the city of Kharkiv. In 1953, she was falsely accused and arrested, and was subsequently sent to a political prison on Karl Liebknecht Street, where she was read her sentence before being transferred to Lukyanivska Prison. She was then sent to Siberia as part of her sentence. It was in Siberia that she learned of Stalin's death: "We learned of Stalin's death when the prisoners started shouting, 'The Jews killed Stalin!'" Olga was finally released after two years of imprisonment.
Artistic Career
In 1956, Olga Rapai graduated from the Kyiv Art Institute. After graduation, she worked as a sculptor at the Kyiv Experimental Ceramic and Artistic Plant (KEKHZ). Her works can be found in various locations, such as the Republican Children's Library in Kyiv, the facade of the House of People's Collectives on Shevchenko Boulevard in Kyiv, and the vestibule of the Institute of Physiology and the Institute of Botany in Kyiv.
Notable Works
Some of Olga Rapai's notable works include "Carnival," "Circus Artists," "Red Book," "Ark of Comedians," and "Happy Grandfather." Her works are housed in the funds of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, the Union of Artists of Ukraine, and museums in Kyiv and Sumy.
Family Background
Olga Rapai's father, Perets Markish (1895-1952), was a Jewish poet and playwright who wrote in Yiddish. He was the head of the Jewish section of the Union of Soviet Writers and was executed by the Soviet authorities on fabricated charges as an enemy of the people. He was posthumously rehabilitated. Olga's stepfather, Boris Danilovich Rapai, was also executed by the Soviet authorities on fabricated charges as an enemy of the people. Her mother was sentenced to ten years in the Gulag as the wife of an enemy of the people, and her stepmother was also arrested. Olga's brother, Simon Markish (1931-2003), was a literary scholar and translator who was arrested on fabricated charges. Her other brother, David Markish (born 1938), is a writer who was also arrested on fabricated charges.
Marriage and Children
Olga Rapai is married to Nikolay Pavlovich Rapai, a Soviet and Ukrainian sculptor. He is an Honored Artist of Ukraine (1993) and a member of the Union of Artists of Ukraine (1963). They have a daughter named Ekaterina Rapai.
