Alexander Maksovich Shilov

Alexander Maksovich Shilov is a Soviet and Russian painter, graphic artist, and portraitist. People's Artist of the USSR, Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation, and laureate of the Lenin Komsomol Prize. Alexander Maksovich Shilov was born on October 6, 1943, in Moscow. In 1968 Shilov entered the Moscow State Art Institute named after V. I. Surikov, where he demonstrated an outstanding talent as a portraitist. His diploma work consisted of portraits of cosmonauts painted in Star City. After graduating, Shilov worked in architecture in Vilnius and then focused on painting.

In his work he draws on the traditions of Russian Romanticism and Realism. He paints still lifes, landscapes, and the nude, but is best known as the author of numerous portraits. In 1997 Shilov became a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Arts, and in 2001 a full member. In 1997 the artist opened a personal gallery in Moscow. In 2023 Alexander Shilov was awarded the title Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation for his outstanding contribution to the development of national art.