Keylikhis Yakov

He is sculptor of the Soviet period and the first author of the monument. Graduated from Odessa Art School and the St. Petersburg Imperial Academy of Painting.

He opened the first sculpture studio in 1909. The stone carving, formation work was taught here. The students of this school developed the creativity of ornament. They decorated now houses in 28 May Street, Sabunchu station building.

A lot of works of Keylikhis is devoted to the actual subjects of those years. This type of Poterl bas-relief, Baku Gauruche busts, etc can be shown.

In 1912 Keylikhis created in collaboration with a number of artists the Society of Arts. But in 1920, his sculpture studio was closed by the Soviet government. On the bases of this studio the Institute of the industry, and then the Petroleum and Chemistry Institute (now the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy) had been established.

Keylikhis Yakov worked as the head of the department of sculpture at the institute for 30 years. In 1920, Keylikhis erected a small bust of Sergei Kirov at Seaside Park. In 1922 Keylikhis created the statue of Mirza Alakbar Sabir. It was placed at Ismailliya garden (now Sabir garden, next to the building of the National Academy of Sciences). Very few people know that this is the first monument of a man erected in the Muslim East. In 1958, the statue was replaced with the work of Jalal Garyaghdi.

In 1939 after his wife died Yakov Keylikhis put an end to active creative activity. In 1949, for 40 years of creative activity he was honored with title of Honored Art Worker of Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.