Petras Rimša

Petras Rimša (3 November 1881 in Naudžiai, Vilkaviškis district – 2 October 1961 in Kaunas) was one of the first professional Lithuanian sculptors and medalists.

Biography Rimša was born to a family of farmers in Suvalkija, which was then part of Congress Poland within Russian Empire. He was educated privately in Warsaw under Pius Weloński (1900–1903), at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Antonin Mercié (1903–1904), and Cracow Academy of Fine Arts under Konstanty Laszczka (1904–1905). This has become a symbol of the Lithuanian resistance to the Lithuanian press ban (1864–1904) and was featured on the 5 litas banknote. The sculpture received Pavel Stroganov Prize in 1910.