Born in 1961 in Omsk, Russia, Dmitry Svetlov knew from a young age that he wanted to pursue a career in art. Svetlov began his formal training when he was young, graduating from a preliminary art school in Omsk in 1977. After his graduation, he attended the 1905 Art College in Moscow, from which he graduate with honors in 1984. Just a few years later he completed his studied at the Surikov School at the Moscow State Academy of Art. Throughout his education and continuing today, Svetlov has exhibited his art all over the world.