Yuri Smirnov

Yuri Smirnov was born in the Tver region of Russia. In 1951, he entered the Art College in Kalinin. During the years of 1953-54 he studied at the Academic Dacha under the recognized master V.S. Sorokin.

After serving in the Russian Army from 1954 to 1957, he resumed his passion with great vigor. From Sorokin, he learned to master various techniques and his paintings appeared with very confident brushwork and surfaces with wonderful texture.

From 1957 to 1959, Smirnov studied in the ancient town of Yaroslavl under the guidance of A. Mazitov and A. Tombasov, both of whom saw his great talent and helped him to organize his one-man exhibit in 1959 at the House of Artists in Moscow.

Thereafter, the government saw Smirnov’s potential and recruited him for a number of important commissions. As his popularity grew, Smirnov earned more awards and a series of one-man exhibits as well as having his works included in important group exhibitions.

A peer of many other artists from the Tver region, he became a regular visitor to the Academic Dacha where he produced many of his finest works. Starting in the late 1980’s Smirnov was invited to many European countries where he held exhibitions and developed a loyal following of art collectors.

The paintings of Yuri Smirnov can be seen in many Museum collections throughout Russia including the Tretyakov State Gallery in Moscow and the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.