Romuald Iodko was born on 3 December 1894 in Slutsk, Minsk Governorate of the Russian Empire, in the family of an artisan. He had a sister, Yelena, and two brothers, Vitold and Adam, the latter was wrongfully executed, but subsequently rehabilitated. In 1912, Iodko entered the Imperial Stroganov Central Art and Industrial School, where he studied under the mentorship of S.S. Alyoshin, Nikolay Andreyev and E.U. Shishkina, graduating in 1918, and later began to work at the first State Free Art Shops. In 1919, he volunteered in the Red Army during the Russian Civil War, serving until 1921, then he was sent to Vkhutemas to continue his artistic education. Upon graduating in 1925 from Vkhutemas Sculpture Faculty under the supervision of Boris Korolyov, he remained there as an assistant on scientific-methodological and pedagogical work. Since 1926, he had participated in art exhibitions, and also held membership in artist societies, OST and AKhRR. In 1938, he was the head of the Union of Soviet sculptors, and the chairman of the Moscow RegionalUnion of Soviet Artists and Sculptors. He mainly dealt with monumental decorative sculpture for parks, embankments, stadiums, public buildings in Moscow and other cities, including Female Swimmer or Leap into the Water, Children's Khorovod for the fountain, Victory, Female Builder, Girl with an Oar, Miner, and Female Miner. He also created sculptural portraits of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ageeva, M.F. Stakhanov, and others; indoor sculptures, like Portrait of a Man and Red Guard. At the beginning of his academic career, he lectured at the Sculpture Department of Vkhutemas-Vkhutein, MAI, MKhI, and MIPIDI ; holding a professortitle since 1941. In 1952, he started to work at MVKhPU, where he managed the Department of Academic Sculpture from 1963 to 1974. For his achievements, he was awarded the title of Meritorious Worker of Arts of the RSFSR in 1968. Among his pupils were Lev Kerbel,, and S.D. Shaposhnikov. He died on 13 November 1974 in Moscow, and was buried at the Vvedenskoye Cemetery.
Selected work
Sportswoman, 1924
Portrait of a Man, 1925
Red Guardsman, 1927
Boy, 1927
Female Swimmer or Jumping into the Water, tinted cement, 1930; also a bronze version of 1932.
