| People's Artist of the USSR | |
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 Breast badge of the People's Artist of the USSR (performing arts) | |
 Breast badge of the People's Artist of the USSR (visual arts) | |
People's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated asNational Artist of the USSR, was anhonorary title granted to artists of theSoviet Union. The term is confusingly used to translate two Russian language titles: Народный артист СССР (Narodny artist SSSR), awarded inperforming arts and Народный художник СССР (Narodny khudozhnik SSSR), granted in somevisual arts.
As those titles were granted by the government, honorees were afforded certain privileges and would often receive commissions from theMinister of Culture of the Soviet Union. Accordingly, artists and authors who expressed criticism of theCommunist Party were seldom granted such recognition, if not outrightcensored. EachSoviet Republic, as well as the Autonomous Republics (ASSRs), had a similar award that would be held previously by virtually every receiver of the higher title of People's Artist of the USSR.[citation needed]
The title was bestowed for exceptional achievements in the performing arts in theSoviet Union. Its recipients included many of the most-acclaimed composers, dancers, singers, film and theatre directors and actors of every Soviet republic. In all, there were 1006 recipients of the award.[citation needed]
The title was introduced in 1936, replacing the earlier title of "People's Artist of the Republic". The first recipients of the title (6 September 1936) wereKonstantin Stanislavski,Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko,Ivan Moskvin,Antonina Nezhdanova,Boris Shchukin,Kulyash Baiseitova and some other actors. The last persons to be honored with the title wereSofia Pilyavskaya andOleg Yankovsky (21 December 1991).[citation needed]
Originally, the title was bestowed on theatre actors, ballet dancers, and opera singers only. Gradually, it came to be bestowed upon film actors (e.g.,Lyubov Orlova), composers (e.g.,Arno Babajanian,Dmitri Shostakovich), violinists (e.g.David Oistrakh), pop singers (e.g.,Leonid Utyosov), comedians (e.g.,Arkady Raikin), and even circus performers such asNatalya Durova andOleg Popov.[citation needed]
Normally, a person was named the People's Artist of the USSR after 40 years of age. Exceptions were made for dancers, e.g.,Nadezhda Pavlova, a ballet artist, received the title at the age of 28, andMalika Kalontarova, a famousBukharian Jewish folk dancer fromTajikistan, received the title at the age of 34.[1]
The youngest female persons to receive this title were Kazakh opera singersKulyash Baiseitova (1936) andHalima Nosirova (1937) (at the age of 24). The youngest male person was the Azerbaijani baritone operatic and pop singerMuslim Magomayev (1973) (at the age of 31). Among the actors, the youngest recipient wasSergei Bondarchuk (age 32). The youngest actress to receive the title wasYuri Andropov's daughter-in-law,[2]Lyudmila Chursina, at age 40.[3]
Sofia Rotaru, for example, was namedMerited Artist of the Ukrainian SSR in 1973,People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR in 1976, People's Artist of the Moldavian SSR in 1983, an attained cumulation of People's Artist titles,[4] and finally People's Artist of the Soviet Union in 1988, the first female pop-singer to be honored with this award and the only one with three People's Artists.[4]
The title of People's Painter of the USSR (Народный художник СССР) was awarded for exceptional achievements in certainvisual arts:painting,sculpture,drawing, andphotography. The lesser title of Meritorious Painter of the USSR (Заслуженный художник СССР) was also awarded for achievement in these fields.[citation needed]
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