In 1899, he went to study in Munich, then to Paris with the aim of improving his decorative painting skills, but after meeting Auguste Rodin, he decided to become a sculptor.

In 1907, he went to Italy and studied the technology of bronze casting and marble processing in Florence, becoming acquainted with the works of Italian old masters.

[1] With the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, he signed his works with the pseudonym Zaļkalns, which is a direct translation from German into Latvian of the surname "Grinberg".

In 1918-1919, together with his compatriots, Ernests Štālbergs, Kārlis Zāle, Gustavs Šķilters, Jānis Tilbergs and Burkards Dzenis, he participated in the practical implementation of the Lenin's Plan of "Monumental Propaganda".

[2] During this period he created and installed two monuments, one to the democratic revolutionary Nikolai Chernyshevsky and to the member of the Paris Commune, Auguste Blanqui.

He also created models of monuments to composers Modest Mussorgsky and Alexander Scriabin and revolutionary lieutenant Pyotr Schmidt.