Gregory Orekhov, russian sculptor, was born in the USSR and was lucky to be surrounded by artwork ever since his first birthday. His father, Yuri Orekhov, was a well-known Russian sculptor. Awarded with a title of the «National artist of the Russian Federation», member of the academy Yuri Orekhov, devoted his entire life to art. He was Gregory’s first teacher who gave him the basics of the profession. From his early age Gregory often helped his father with his work and in the process learned the academic style in sculpture. As a student of the Studio by Russian Academy of Arts (RAA), where Yuri Orekhov was also teaching, Gregory Orekhov discovered the full cycle of sculpture creation: from soft to solid materials, such as bronze, stone, and concrete, which enabled him to work in different techniques.
During his time at the art studio, Gregory had a chance to meet the greatest Russian artists whose craftsmanship left an indelible mark on his creative path. When he was a child together with his father, he created the monument of «The defenders of the White House in Moscow» (1992), Gregory’s first big work. In 1996-2001 both father and son worked on the reconstruction of the sculptural decoration of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow; this project received an award from the government of Moscow for the highest quality of realization.
The year 2000 was the last year when Gregory worked alongside his father. The monument of Alexander Pushkin by Yuri and Gregory Orekhov got a State Award. In addition to his creative work Gregory Orekhov contributed to the promotion of arts and culture in Russia. Since 2001, after death of his father, Gregory served as the director of the «Sculptor» foundation aimed at supporting more then 50 Russian artists and architects and enabling them to create their masterpieces for a wide international audience.
In 2003 Gregory Orekhov established a museum space entitled «The creative heritage of academician Yuri Orekhov» which served as a venue for art events, dialogues, meetings and conferences on a wide range of issues in the field of monumental art. Central to these activities is the Museum’s unique collection of sculptures by the acclaimed master — Yuri Orekhov.
In 2004, Gregory Orekhov established the «Golden Nut» award for young students of art universities in Moscow and St. Petersburg. During the last ten years of his life Gregory became actively interested in architecture, art direction and design. As a result, he successfully accomplished multiple projects in Russia and abroad using different techniques, materials and new technologies. It is worth noting that Gregory always stayed true to his roots. Even during his productive time as an architect he continued to work on sculptures, such as fountains for Moscow and the Moscow region.
In 2015 the Moscow Region sign created by him became an official symbol of city’s country. Nowadays there are 12 sign sculptures on the borders of Moscow made by Orekhov. Currently Gregory is immersed in the process of creating contemporary sculpture series made with stainless steel.
