Solomon Nikritin

Solomon Nikritin made sculptures from metal that look like they’ve been hammered together in a garage after midnight. He once turned a poem into a wall piece where the words curl around a human figure like smoke. If you’ve ever seen a rough-cut sculpture that feels more like a tool than a decoration, that’s his vibe.

Head to the Hermitage’s online collection and search “Nikritin soldiers” to spot the 1940 piece where a lone figure stands in a landscape you can almost hear ring with wind.