Ivan Bilibin was a Russian artist, graphic designer, and stage decorator. Born in the village of Tarkhovka to the family of a physician, Yakov Bilibin, the future artist showed a keen interest in drawing from early childhood. After graduating from the First St. Petersburg Gymnasium, he began attending the Drawing School of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts in 1895. Even after enrolling in the Faculty of Law at St. Petersburg University, Bilibin continued to pursue art, writing and illustrating fairy tales during this period. In May 1898, a three-month trip to Munich allowed the young artist to study the works of Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Franz von Stuck, and other masters. After returning, Bilibin studied under Ilya Repin at Princess Maria Tenisheva's School. That same year, the Expedition for the Preparation of State Papers took an interest in his work and commissioned illustrations for a book of Russian folk tales. During this time, he also collaborated with the "Mir Iskusstva" (“World of Art”) magazine. In the summer of 1902, he travelled to the Arkhangelsk and Vologda provinces. Bilibin returned there in 1903 and 1904, this time specifically to collect antiquities for the ethnographic collection of the Russian Museum. Beginning in 1907, Bilibin established himself as a theatrical designer. His portfolio included set designs for the drama "The Miracle of Theophilus", "Boris Godunov", "The Golden Cockerel", and "Ruslan and Ludmila". He also created a costume for Anna Pavlova for the ballet "The Pharaoh’s Daughter". Among his other major projects were "The Tale of Tsar Saltan", "The Snow Maiden", and "The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh", as well as Igor Stravinsky’s ballet "The Firebird". Following the Revolution, Bilibin lived in Egypt and later in France. After eventually returning to Leningrad, he designed sets for the Pushkin Drama Theatre and the Kirov State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet. The collection of the Bakhrushin Theatre Museum holds Ivan Bilibin’s original sketches, production photographs, and personal correspondence.