Nikolai Stepanovich Safronov (Nikas)

People's Artist of the Russian Federation, holder of the Order of Alexander Nevsky, academician of the Russian Academy of Arts, professor and dean of the Faculty of Culture and Art at Ulyanovsk State University, professor of the Department of Drawing and Painting at the Kosygin Russian State University, laureate of the International Pushkin Prize in the Art. Painting category (2024), and winner of the national Dean of the Year award (2024). He has received a commendation from the President of the Russian Federation, two Gold Medals of the Academy of Arts, and numerous honorary titles from CIS countries.

In the last 10 years alone, he has held more than 320 solo exhibitions in Russia and abroad. His works are held in the Hermitage, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg, the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, the main Vatican Museum, and more than 50 other museums in Russia and around the world. They are also found in the collections of many international stars, including Sophia Loren, Luciano Pavarotti, Montserrat Caballe, Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras, Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Jean-Paul Belmondo, and Anthony Hopkins. In addition, Nikas Safronov has painted portraits of many world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, Pope Francis, Pope John Paul II, and around 50 other presidents and kings from many countries.

After many years of experimenting with different techniques and genres, Nikas Safronov developed his own unique individual style and created an original artistic direction, which he named Dream Vision. Today Nikas Safronov is considered one of the most famous and sought-after contemporary artists in Russia.