Igor Babailov - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Igor Valerievich Babailov (born February 9, 1965) is a Russian-born American portrait artist, known for his commissioned portraits of global leaders, celebrities and distinguished individuals. Some of his notable portraits include those of: Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI

Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...

(Vatican), President of Russia Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...

(Kremlin), United States Supreme Court Justice Joseph P. Sullivan (Appellate Division Courthouse of New York State

Appellate Division Courthouse of New York State

The Appellate Division Courthouse of New York State is a historic court house located at 27 Madison Avenue at East 25th Street, across from Madison Square Park, in Manhattan, New York City.The limestone Beaux-Arts courthouse was designed by James Brown Lord and built in 1896-1899...

), Mayor Rudolph Giuliani of New York (Giuliani Partners

Giuliani Partners

Giuliani Partners LLC is a management consulting and security consulting business founded by former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in January 2002.-Structure:...

), Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney

Brian Mulroney

Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...

(House of Commons), pianist Byron Janis

Byron Janis

Byron Janis is an American classical pianist.-Life:He made several recordings for RCA Victor and Mercury Records, and occupies two volumes of the Philips Great Pianists series. His discography covers repertoire from Beethoven to David Guion and includes renditions of major piano concertos from...

(Steinway Hall

Steinway Hall

Steinway Hall is the name of buildings housing concert halls, showrooms and sales departments for Steinway & Sons pianos. The first Steinway Hall was opened 1866 in New York City. Today, Steinway Halls and Steinway-Häuser are located in world cities such as New York City, London, Hamburg, Berlin,...

), Templeton Prize

Templeton Prize

The Templeton Prize is an annual award presented by the Templeton Foundation. Established in 1972, it is awarded to a living person who, in the estimation of the judges, "has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life's spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery, or practical...

recipient Michael Novak

Michael Novak

Michael Novak is an American Catholic philosopher, journalist, novelist, and diplomat. The author of more than twenty-five books on the philosophy and theology of culture, Novak is most widely known for his book The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism...

of the American Enterprise Institute

American Enterprise Institute

The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research is a conservative think tank founded in 1943. Its stated mission is "to defend the principles and improve the institutions of American freedom and democratic capitalism—limited government, private enterprise, individual liberty and...

, and numerous other prominent figures for public and private collections. Besides portrait works, Babailov is also known for his large scale multi-figurative paintings, such as his “For Gold, God and Glory” painting and “Believe” painted for the Vatican on the occasion of the World Youth Days.

Background and academia

Babailov began his formal art education at nine years of age. He received his Master of Fine Art's degree from the Surikov Academy of Fine Arts of The Moscow School of Painting acclaimed for its famous teachers and alumni: Valentin Serov

Valentin Serov

Valentin Alexandrovich Serov was a Russian painter, and one of the premier portrait artists of his era.-Youth and education:...

, Konstantin Korovin

Konstantin Korovin

Konstantin Alekseyevich Korovin was a leading Russian Impressionist painter.-Biography:Konstantin was born in Moscow to a merchant family officially registered as "peasants of Vladimir Gubernia". His father, Aleksey Mikhailovich Korovin, earned a university degree and was more interested in arts...

, and Abram Arkhipov

Abram Arkhipov

Abram Efimovich Arkhipov was a Russian realist artist, who was a member of the art collective The Wanderers as well as the Union of Russian Artists....

among others.

Scholar and advocate of the traditional values in visual arts, Mr. Babailov's teachings highlight the importance of drawing from life as a foundation for strong painting. Babailov holds workshops and portrait demonstrations in art colleges, art societies, and private clubs across North America. He is a public speaker, represented by Harry Walker Agency. According to the Agency, in his demonstrations “…you witness "the truth of the soul" coming alive in front of your eyes…”

Babailov has been featured in professional art publications and news media, such as: The New York Daily News, National Review
National Review
National Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...

, The Moscow Times
The Moscow Times
The Moscow Times is an English-language daily newspaper published in Moscow, Russia since 1992. The circulation in 2008 stood at 35,000 copies and the newspaper is typically given out for free at places English-language "expats" attend, including hotels, cafés and restaurants, as well as by...

, CBC News
CBC News
CBC News is the department within the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on CBC television, radio and online services...

, the Vatican's ZENIT, Live with Regis and Kelly Show, The Artist's Magazine, Art World News, International Artist, Classical Realism Journal, AskMen, MercatorNet, The Encyclopedia Tematica del Peru, and Italian American magazine Primo.

External links

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