Born in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1967, Mstislav “Misti” Pavlov began drawing, using pastels, and painting when he was only five years old. His talent, especially in his use of color, was recognized quickly and his mother enrolled him in the painting program for gifted children in the prestigious Hermitage Museum. When the general curator saw Pavlov’s work he requested to be the boy’s personal teacher. In 1979 Pavlov began studying at the Academy of Fine Art in St. Petersburg, where, again, the Academy president Professor B. Urarov requested to teach Pavlov himself. When he graduated as the valedictorian, he was also named Best Graduate of the Year.

Pavlov began traveling abroad extensively in 1993, particularly in the Mediterranean countries of France, Italy, and Spain, studied the masters of painting such as his favorites, Renoir and Sisley, and exploring his own skills when he painted the beautiful landscapes. This exploration let him to the Art Nouveau movement of Gaudi and Motaner, and later to portraiture, for which he quickly became renowned.

Pavlov continues to create remarkable portraits which hang in private and public collections and exhibitions throughout Russia, Europe, and the United States. Each year he returns to France, Italy, and Spain for a few months to explore the cities and countrysides as he did in 1993. Just as then, he supports himself with the art he creates on these trips he call his personal “renovations.”