Kristina Koljaka

Kristina Koljaka (4 June 1916 – 21 October 2005) was an Albanian sculptor and one of the first women to achieve success in sculpture in Albania.

Education and career

Koljaka studied at Tirana’s Arts Lyceum from 1930–34 and later at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma from 1938–41. She made her début with My Friend (marble, 1941; Rome, private collection). Her success was affirmed with the monumental statue of Vladimir Lenin (bronze, h. 4 m, 1954; Tiranë). She made sculptures on various themes, for example Seedlings (Afforestation) (coloured plaster, 1951), as well as portraits, like the life-size Dr Shiroka (marble, 1956; both Tiranë, A.G.). The gentle plasticity and clear outlines in her work convey a human warmth and awareness of space. The hands and other details of a portrait are often underpinned by a characteristic acumen. Koljaka is considered among the finest Albanian sculptors and teachers of sculpture. She died on 21 October 2005, at the age of 89.^[1][2]

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