Igor Babailov


Igor Valerievich Babailov is an American painter and 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, President of Russia Vladimir Putin, New York State Appellate Division Justice Joseph P. Sullivan, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani of New York, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, pianist Byron Janis
, Templeton Prize recipient Michael Novak of the American Enterprise Institute, 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, Konstantin Korovin, and Abram Arkhipov 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, The Moscow Times, CBC News, 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''.