Ilia Zaitseff was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1961. Although he trained as an engineer, it was art that captured his heart and imagination. At 28, in order to surround himself with the masterpieces that left him spellbound, he became a guide-interpreter at the Hermitage Museum. Soon after, he began taking courses at the Mukhina Academy (St. Petersburg State Art and Industry Academy). Aside from studying drawing and painting, he learned the classical methods used by European painters of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.