ART AS AN OPENING

Matter.
Movement.
The invisible.

A presence, a gesture, a balance.
Sculpture begins where words
give way to imagination.

Slender figure with raised arms on a golden mineral form, sculpture by Igor Ustinov — À la lumièreMatter, stirred into motion.Ustinov

ARTIST · SCULPTOR · INVENTORFROM MATTER TO IDEA

01 / THE WORKS

To inhabit silence.
To bring a presence into being.

The impulse of a body.
The memory of an imprint.
The space of an encounter.

In the studio or within the landscape, the sculptures invite us to draw closer, to move around their forms and let the eye discover its own path.

Slender figure with raised arms on a golden mineral form — Igor Ustinov — À la lumière01 / 69Ustinov

Two figures balancing on a boat-like form — Igor Ustinov — À vie éternel02 / 69Ustinov

Two figures, one dark and one golden, in motion — Igor Ustinov — À vie éternel — détail03 / 69Ustinov

Winged figure resting on an anvil — Igor Ustinov — Ange gardien04 / 69Ustinov

Silhouettes in motion in a winter landscape — Igor Ustinov — Mer et enfant05 / 69Ustinov

Figures arranged on two levels within an open structure — Igor Ustinov — Autrement06 / 69Ustinov

Figure with outstretched arms before the mountains — Igor Ustinov — Open Mind07 / 69Ustinov

Golden sculpted form with a heart-shaped opening — Igor Ustinov — Bouclier 108 / 69Ustinov

Open handprint in a golden surface — Igor Ustinov — Bouclier 209 / 69Ustinov

Two sculpted hands meeting — Igor Ustinov — Confiance10 / 69Ustinov

Monumental sculpture standing among trees — Igor Ustinov — Éclaire ce que tu aimes sans toucher à son ombre11 / 69Ustinov

Sculpted figures taking flight in a public space — Igor Ustinov — Élève-toi12 / 69Ustinov

Slender sculpture beside water and trees — Igor Ustinov — Élève-toi13 / 69Ustinov

Footprint at the centre of a sculpted form — Igor Ustinov — Empreinte rationnelle14 / 69Ustinov

Figures beside a long vertical chain — Igor Ustinov — Énergie sacrée15 / 69Ustinov

Figures in motion among large cogwheels — Igor Ustinov — Engrenage16 / 69Ustinov

Two acrobatic figures in balance — Igor Ustinov — Envers et contre tout17 / 69Ustinov

Figure with open arms beside a radiant golden form — Igor Ustinov — Exacerbé18 / 69Ustinov

Slender figure with raised arms on a root-like base — Igor Ustinov — La foi19 / 69Ustinov

Balancing figure carrying two trays — Igor Ustinov — La justice20 / 69Ustinov

Sculpted horse’s head, detail — Igor Ustinov — La nature du centaure — détail21 / 69Ustinov

Human figures beside a horse — Igor Ustinov — La nature du centaure22 / 69Ustinov

Sculpted turtle with a green patina — Igor Ustinov — La société23 / 69Ustinov

Upright fish with a green patina — Igor Ustinov — Entre terre et mer24 / 69Ustinov

Figure with outstretched arms balancing on a large sphere — Igor Ustinov — L’âge adulte25 / 69Ustinov

Two animal figures together — Igor Ustinov — L’écrivain26 / 69Ustinov

A group of slender figures on bases — Igor Ustinov — Les sentinelles27 / 69Ustinov

Figure suspended at the end of a fine rod — Igor Ustinov — L’histoire28 / 69Ustinov

Two upright slender forms — Igor Ustinov — L’homme qui sort de terre29 / 69Ustinov

Sculpted open hand — Igor Ustinov — La main30 / 69Ustinov

Figure in motion — Igor Ustinov — Le mathématicien31 / 69Ustinov

Sculpted relief, first view — Igor Ustinov — Le mur de Berlin32 / 69Ustinov

Sculpted relief, second view — Igor Ustinov — L’autre côté du mur de Berlin33 / 69Ustinov

Balancing figure and its shadow — Igor Ustinov — Ombre âge34 / 69Ustinov

Figure before a cross-shaped opening — Igor Ustinov — Ombre et silhouette35 / 69Ustinov

Sculptures in the studio — Igor Ustinov — Open Mind36 / 69Ustinov

Igor Ustinov at work in the studio — Igor Ustinov — IN THE STUDIO37 / 69Ustinov

Detail of sculpted material — Igor Ustinov — IN THE STUDIO38 / 69Ustinov

Work in progress in the studio — Igor Ustinov — IN THE STUDIO39 / 69Ustinov

Portrait of Igor Ustinov — Igor Ustinov — IN THE STUDIO40 / 69Ustinov

Igor Ustinov shaping the material — Igor Ustinov — IN THE STUDIO41 / 69Ustinov

Two dancing figures — Igor Ustinov — Benois de la Danse42 / 69Ustinov

Two figures together — Igor Ustinov — Création43 / 69Ustinov

A group of figures with a green patina — Igor Ustinov — Place des sentinelles44 / 69Ustinov

Composition with a horned head and two figures — Igor Ustinov — Promenade du veau d’or45 / 69Ustinov

Winged figure on an anvil — Igor Ustinov — Providence46 / 69Ustinov

Figure above an arch — Igor Ustinov — Répétition47 / 69Ustinov

Sculptural composition against a red background — Igor Ustinov — Tableau rouge48 / 69Ustinov

Group of figures beneath a cloudy sky — Igor Ustinov — Temps 149 / 69Ustinov

Figure and bull — Igor Ustinov — Tor et Ador50 / 69Ustinov

Figure on a ladder above a sphere — Igor Ustinov — Toujours plus haut51 / 69Ustinov

Figure at the top of a circle, first view — Igor Ustinov — Variation sur le cercle 152 / 69Ustinov

Figure at the top of a circle, second view — Igor Ustinov — Variation sur le cercle 253 / 69Ustinov

Figure setting a large wheel in motion — Igor Ustinov — La volonté de faire54 / 69Ustinov

Figures holding hands around a figure with raised arms — Igor Ustinov — Le cerf-volant55 / 69Ustinov

Figure suspended above a cup — Igor Ustinov — Corde sensible56 / 69Ustinov

Two slender figures, one carrying another figure — Igor Ustinov — Emphase57 / 69Ustinov

Figure balancing on a bottle-shaped form — Igor Ustinov — L’ivresse58 / 69Ustinov

Figure balancing on one leg with arms outstretched — Igor Ustinov — La vie avant tout59 / 69Ustinov

Two dancing figures with a green patina — Igor Ustinov — Les racines du vent60 / 69Ustinov

Figures around a tilted disc, first view — Igor Ustinov — Passion61 / 69Ustinov

Figures around a tilted disc, second view — Igor Ustinov — Passion62 / 69Ustinov

Small figure and a projected luminous shadow — Igor Ustinov — Pensée confortable63 / 69Ustinov

Two figures taking flight — Igor Ustinov — Pied de biche64 / 69Ustinov

Bottle silhouette and glass in a framed composition — Igor Ustinov — Le prédicateur65 / 69Ustinov

Figures gathered at the top of a radiating structure — Igor Ustinov — Racines66 / 69Ustinov

Vertical composition in the shape of a bottle and glass — Igor Ustinov — Remplis-moi67 / 69Ustinov

Monumental sculptural group installed in a courtyard — Igor Ustinov — Subsistance68 / 69Ustinov

Figure with open arms beneath a disc in a sculpted frame — Igor Ustinov — Tableau blanc69 / 69Ustinov

Photographs shared by the artist. Select an image to view it full size.

Works +

Si à moi · L’ange gardien · L’homme qui sort de terre · La foi · Envers et contre tout.

A selection of titles from Igor Ustinov’s catalogue.

Monuments +

Sculpture leaves the studio to meet the city, the landscape and the people who pass through them.

Hopefully — Bath
Éclaire ce que tu aimes sans toucher à son ombre — Vandœuvres
Élève-toi — Versoix
Open Mind — Lucerne
Pied de Biche — Bern, Ouchy, Sofia and Tel Aviv
À Dieu — Lausanne
Ange de Neyruz — Neyruz

Drawing, projects, dance +

From line to form, an idea takes shape. Drawings and sculptural projects extend this exploration of movement and balance.

Igor Ustinov also created the Benois de la Danse trophy, named in tribute to the Benois family and its artistic legacy.

SCULPTURE IN EVERYDAY LIFE

From place to place.
Close to life.

A changing light.
An answering gesture.
An unexpected encounter.

In a garden, by the water, indoors or in the studio, the works share our spaces and our moments. These photographs tell the story of life around sculpture.

Sculpture amid festive lights — Open Mind70 / 87Ustinov

A living gesture echoes the sculpture beside the lake — L’Alliance71 / 87Ustinov

A studio filled with forms and ideas — Vue du studio72 / 87Ustinov

A circle opening onto the lake — L’Alliance73 / 87Ustinov

A moment in the studio — archive photograph — In the studio74 / 87Ustinov

Sculptures in dialogue with trees — Ombre et silhouette75 / 87Ustinov

A sculpture among trees — À Dieu76 / 87Ustinov

Sculptures displayed indoors — Con versant77 / 87Ustinov

A sculpted presence in the landscape — Vue d’une sentinelle78 / 87Ustinov

An artwork in an interior setting — Effet mer79 / 87Ustinov

Two figures sharing a single impulse — Mer et enfant — petit80 / 87Ustinov

A silhouette in the light of the night — Ombre et silhouette de nuit81 / 87Ustinov

Balance at the end of a long rod — Le conducteur82 / 87Ustinov

A walking figure — Loubime83 / 87Ustinov

A body balancing on a sphere — Jeu philosophique84 / 87Ustinov

Two figures coming together — Danse des hémisphères85 / 87Ustinov

Matter in the process of creation — L’ours — modèle86 / 87Ustinov

L’Ange de Neyruz against a blue sky — L’Ange de Neyruz87 / 87Ustinov

17 views of the works and their surroundings. Select a photograph to enlarge it.

2026 — 2027

Exhibitions & agenda

Upcoming exhibitions and encounters.

October 2026 — March 2027

Group exhibitions

Igor Ustinov & Julien Marinetti

Chardonne, Switzerland

November 2026

Igor Ustinov

(Material, Knowledge, Imagination)

Concept and curating: Le Cercle Fine Art

Exhibition available.

14 — 20 December 2026

The Circle of Artists Supporting Colorbox

An exhibition by Igor Ustinov, the first artist patron.

Rue des Bains 33–35
Geneva, Switzerland

2027

Hôtel Angleterre

A sculpture trail by Igor Ustinov through the interiors and gardens.

Place du Port 11
1006 Lausanne, Switzerland

View Le Cercle’s agenda ↗

Artist at workDiscover the studio

A glimpse into Igor Ustinov’s studio: hands shaping matter, tools at work and the making of L’ange de Neyruz.

L’ange de Neyruz — a film in the studioUstinov

Sculptures — a filmUstinov

Igor Ustinov at work on L’ange de Neyruz — 1

Igor Ustinov at work on L’ange de Neyruz — 2

Igor Ustinov at work on L’ange de Neyruz — 3

Igor Ustinov at work on L’ange de Neyruz — 4

02 / THE ARTIST’S VISION

Matter,
knowledge
& imagination.

✳

Art, science, music: three ways of listening to the world. For Igor Ustinov, they meet in a shared curiosity about life and the things that connect us.

“Thoughts and feelings have a form.”

Igor Ustinov

Read the full text — Bronze, entering into matter… +

BRONZE — ENTERING INTO MATTER…

Since the Bronze Age, metal drawn from the depths of the earth has allowed human beings to make their presence endure. Bronze, poured like blood into a mould and solidifying as it cools, leaves a trace of our existence. Bronze is spirited like life, enduring like the passing of time, indifferent like death. These qualities allow it to bring the human soul into communion with the physical world.

The interplay of proportions, of voids and solids, of rough or taut surfaces, of the massive and the delicate, forms the sculptor’s alphabet. Through it, the sculptor seeks the magic of art, the creation of objects of power, the joy of sharing the experience of living, discovering and choosing. The sculptor arrests time in a work to reach beyond a single lifetime. To give everything back is to learn to die each day with a smile. If art is humanity’s signature, it is also its mirror.

Matter is energy. Given concrete expression in a form, that energy becomes intention, attitude. Behind the face and the personality, it moves our lives between the desire to have a will and the will to have a desire, between instinct and thought.

To capture this dynamism and pass it on is to express the joy of living and the courage that shine through these sculptures. Like sap rising through the trunks of trees in spring, these works announce the great celebration of life.

Every sculpture tells of an event, a dream. Understanding lends meaning to the work without diminishing its sculptural presence or its energy. Transcending matter is the challenge the sculptor sets for the mind: a constant search to enter the reality of the world, to understand it more deeply and reveal its substance by bringing one’s own dreams to bear upon it.

Confronting reality is a need expressed in the use of nature to live better; the sculptor confronts it to discover the self.

Revealing the desired forms within stone, feeling malleable materials destined for bronze, or taking existing objects, assembling or destroying them: these are the different languages of sculpture.

To give oneself concrete expression in a work is the pact the artist makes with life, a way of thanking it or rejecting it. To express a truth, an experience, a soul: this is the value of a work of art, revealing an era, a society, a culture, with its references and sensibilities. The sculptor discovers new aesthetics and more fitting languages, yet the gesture always remains. The artist connects body and thought and defines the spirit of forms. A sculpture is born.

EROSION BY THE ELEMENTS AND TIME GIVES MOUNTAINS THEIR SHAPES. A SCULPTURE OWES ITS FORM TO A HUMAN EMOTION. THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS HAVE A FORM.

Igor Ustinov

Download the original French text (Word) ↓

03 / A LIFE’S JOURNEY

Curiosity
as a horizon.

Igor Ustinov concentrating on his sculpture in the studio

Sculpt. Understand.
Imagine. Pass on.

Born in London in 1956 to Sir Peter Ustinov and Suzanne Cloutier, Igor Ustinov grew up at the meeting point of several cultures. He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris under César, pursued biology at Paris VII University and trained in classical singing at the Rachmaninoff Conservatoire.

Based in Switzerland after many years in Paris, he continues a journey combining artistic creation, invention and humanitarian commitment. His works have been exhibited in Europe and North America, and several monumental sculptures stand in public spaces.

Sculpture remains at the heart of this approach: giving tangible form to a way of thinking that is open to the world.

Explore the journey ↓

Exhibitions & collections +

Highlights of his career include the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Nancy, the Kunsthalle in Darmstadt, the Mãe d’Água Museum in Lisbon, the Fondation de l’Estrée in Ropraz, the POPA Museum in Porrentruy and the Palazzo Contarini Polignac in Venice.

His works are held in collections including the Benois Family Museum, the EPAL Museum, the Dieppe Museum, UBS and the Buhl Collection.

Encounters & events +

The Benois de la Danse, exhibitions at the Espace d’art du Petit Manoir in Morges and sculpture presentations in Geneva feature throughout the artist’s website archives.

04 / USTINOV NETWORK & OTHER HORIZONS

Creating forms.
Opening possibilities.

The same imagination can give birth to a sculpture, open a dialogue or inspire an invention. These commitments are connected by education, open-mindedness and care for the living world.

CULTURE, EDUCATION & OPEN-MINDEDNESS

Sir Peter Ustinov Foundation

Childhood, education, creativity.

↗02

Ustinov Institute

Understanding prejudice. Encouraging respect.

↗03

Ustinov College

An international university community in Durham.

↗04

Ustinov Forum

Dialogue and awareness of prejudice.

↗05

Prejudice Awareness

An initiative created by Igor Ustinov to raise awareness of prejudice and challenge it.

↗

Explore the Ustinov Network ↗

INVENTING FOR TOMORROW’S WORLD

WATER / CLIMATE

05 / GET IN TOUCH

A work of art.
An encounter.
A conversation.

Write to Igor Ustinov ↗

For an exhibition, an acquisition or a sculpture project.

igorustinov@igorustinov.com

Matter.
Movement.
The invisible.

To inhabit silence.
To bring a presence into being.

From place to place.
Close to life.