Ogtay Seyid Huseyn oghlu Sadigzade (Azerbaijani: Oqtay Seyid Hüseyn oğlu Sadıqzadə, 24 February 1921 – 20 December 2014) was a Soviet and Azerbaijani visual artist. He was awarded the title People's Artist of the Republic of Azerbaijan (1992), laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Azerbaijan (2014), Personal pensioner of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan (2002).
Biography
Ogtay Sadigzade was born on February 21, 1921, in Khizi. From 1935 to 1939, he studied at the Baku Art Technical College and attracted the attention of art critics with his early works.
In 1941, as a member of a repressed family, Ogtay Sadigzade was exiled because his father Seyid Husein (1887-1938) was accused of being "An Enemy of the People". Stalinist agents also arrested his mother Ummugulsum and sentenced her to eight years in the GULAG and also Ogtay's younger brother Jighatay, who died in the GULAG.
Ogtay survived the GULAG even under extremely difficult conditions of hunger and extreme climatic conditions,[1] and in time was able to use his artistic ability even in the GULAG camps. Upon release, he continued his creativity.[1]
After returning to Baku from the GULAG in 1946, he began to engage in book graphics and achieved success in this field. To continue his education, he entered the Moscow Surikov State Academic Institute of Fine Arts and graduated in 1956 with a degree in graphics.[1]