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Russian artist Sergei Smirnov. Born in 1953, artist Sergey Smirnov grew up in an area of Russia bordering the Pacific Ocean known as the Kamchatka Peninsula. His father was an army officer who moved his family from base to base throughout Russia. In his late teen years, Smirnov and his family settled in Moscow, where he went to work for the Ministry of Agriculture. In 1979, Sergey Smirnov began to take classes at the Moscow City Art College. He graduated from the art college in 1983 as class valedictorian, with a master's degree in art. His remarkable skill in church and cathedral renovation, led to a prestigious position as a restorer of aging and antique church icons and frescoes. Two years later, he began painting icons--a long-standing tradition among Russia's artists--and his work now graces several major churches throughout the country. Starting in 1991, Sergey Smirnov designed and developed logos and graphics for a wide variety of Russian corporations, winning countless national and international awards for his work. He also served as chief editor for the Advertising and Image Creation Corporation of the Russian government's International Trade Corporation. But in 1994 this spirit moved him to devote himself entirely to painting. In 1997, Sergey Smirnov was honored as only the third living artist to have a personal exhibit in the Kremlin's Manezh, which ranks as one of the most prestigious art galleries in the world. For three weeks, people from across Russia lined up at the gallery to catch a glimpse of Smirnov's haunting, elegant art. In the same year, Smirnov exhibited at the Orlean House in London. Sergey sadly passed away suddenly in 2006.
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