He was born into the family of a naval doctor.
He was raised in an intellectual family where liberal views were instilled in the children.
He graduated brilliantly from the First St. Petersburg Gymnasium and received a silver medal for achievements in the exact sciences.
These achievements were highly appreciated by the artist's uncle, Nikolai Bilibin, who was a well-known author of textbooks on algebra and geometry.
He studied law so as not to upset his father.
Bilibin's father believed that his son would not be able to earn a respectable living as an artist, so he did not approve of his admission to the Academy of Arts. Bilibin enrolled in the Faculty of Law at St. Petersburg University, and in his free time wrote and illustrated fairy tales.
He studied with Anton Ažbe in Munich and in Ilya Repin's studio.
Bilibin received a comprehensive artistic education from the best teachers and began to build his artistic career. The works of Viktor Vasnetsov and expeditions to the Vologda and Arkhangelsk provinces inspired the artist to choose Russian folklore as the main theme of his work.
He became famous for his illustrations of Russian fairy tales.
The marvelous, historically accurate illustrations for the tales 'Marya Morevna', 'Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka', 'The White Duck' and 'The Princess on the Terem Tower' made Bilibin famous and formed his distinctive 'Bilibin' style. The artist gained imitators.
Friends nicknamed Bilibin 'Ivan — the Iron Hand'.
Legends were told about the precision and firmness of Bilibin's drawings. He masterfully drew details, ornaments and patterns without drafting instruments.
He illustrated books, designed theatrical sets and costumes, and drew caricatures.
Bilibin's talent was multifaceted: the artist could work in various genres and achieved great success in each.
He was the author of the double-headed eagle that is minted on the Bank of Russia's ruble coins.
Bilibin drew a fanciful eagle for the coat of arms of the Provisional Government, which came to power after the February Revolution, and transferred the copyrights to the Goznak factory.
He lived for several years in Cairo and Paris.
The ship on which Bilibin sailed from Russia to Cyprus after the revolution disembarked passengers in Alexandria because of a typhus epidemic. From there Bilibin moved to Cairo, where he opened a studio and became wealthy by fulfilling commissions from wealthy Greeks. Then he and his second wife, Alexandra Shchekatikhina-Pototskaya, moved to Paris, where the artist designed stage sets for performances, worked for émigré publications, illustrated foreign literature and painted posters.
He died in besieged Leningrad.
After a long emigration, Bilibin returned to St. Petersburg and became a professor of the graphic workshop at the Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. When the Great Patriotic War began, Bilibin steadfastly refused to leave his native city and died of exhaustion on February 7, 1942. He was 65 years old.
