Raisa Lebedeva

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Raisa Ivanovna Lebedeva (1940 – 2025) was a prominent Soviet and Russian painter, scenographer, and long-standing professor of fine arts. She was a recognized master of the brush, honored with the highest state artistic title of "People's Artist of the Russian Federation" (2006) and elected a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Arts (RAH).

Career Highlights:

• Education & Theatre: She graduated from the prestigious Surikov Moscow State Academy Art Institute, specializing in theatrical and decorative painting. In her early career, she worked as a lead production designer for the Penza Drama Theatre, where she designed the sets and costumes for over 22 classic and contemporary theatrical productions.

• Academic Leadership: From 1977 onward, she dedicated herself to teaching at the Department of Painting and Composition at the Surikov Institute, earning the academic title of Professor in 1994.

• Exhibitions & Recognition: A regular participant in major exhibitions since 1974, her work represented Russian fine art internationally in Germany, Great Britain, France, Portugal, and Canada. In 2018, the Russian Academy of Arts hosted a major retrospective showcasing over 60 of her works across different decades, for which she was awarded the prestigious Gold Medal of the RAH.

Today, her most celebrated canvases—including Students at Plain Air, Crimea. Noon, Kerchen Ships, and Dormitory in Sofia—are held in prominent state collections, with a significant permanent display at the Penza Regional Savitsky Art Gallery.