Gregori Maiofis, born in 1970 in St. Petersberg, Russia, comes from a family of artists and architects. His father is the well-known graphic artist, Mikhail Maiofis. Nurtured by his father, his skill at drawing started early in life. He attended the Repin Fine Arts Academy in St. Petersburg for two years, where he studied and copied old masters before leaving to pursue personal projects in oil painting.
In 1989, the Maiofis family moved to the United States. Two years prior to his family’s move he created his first serious body of work. This marked a turning point in his artistic career, dealing with subjects of politics and art. He followed his family to the U.S. in 1991.
Maiofis has had solo exhibitions across Russia, Europe, and the U.S. since 1993. His work is in many museum collections including the following: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Novy Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, California, The State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow, Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow, Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro, and the National Gallery of Slovakia, Bratislava.