Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin: A Life in Art Early Life and Education Born: 1876 in Tarkhovka, a suburb of St. Petersburg, Russia. Ivan Bilibin demonstrated an early aptitude for art, nurtured by the vibrant cultural atmosphere of his surroundings. He initially studied law at the University of St. Petersburg but soon abandoned it to pursue his artistic passions. Bilibin received formal training at Anton Ažbe's School of Art in Mun…