Alexander Opekushin

His father, a serf who made regular visits to Saint Petersburg, obtained permission from Olkhin for Alexander to attend drawing classes at the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts.

His talent was noticed by the artist, Mikhail Mikeshin, who invited him to participate in completing his monument, the "Millennium of Russia".

In 1888, he entered a competition to design a monument honoring the former Governor-General of Siberia, Nikolay Muravyov-Amursky, and his entry was selected.

When it was cast in bronze and erected in Khabarovsk in 1891, it was the tallest monument in Russia (16 meters/52.5 feet, including the pedestal).

[2] In 1919, sick and impoverished, he and his youngest daughters were sent to live with a cousin in Yaroslavl Oblast, at state expense.