Grigory Gagarin

[1] Grigory did not receive a formal artistic education, but took private lessons from the famous Russian painter Karl Briullov who at that time lived in Italy.

[2][5] In 1832, he returned to Saint Petersburg, became acquainted with Alexander Pushkin and illustrated his works The Queen of Spades and The Tale of Tsar Saltan.

[6] He worked as a Russian diplomat in Paris, Rome and Constantinople; stayed two years in Munich.

[1] In 1839, after his return to Russia, he – together with Russian writer Vladimir Sollogub – travelled from Saint Petersburg to Kazan.

[6] They took part in the operations against the Gortsy, the native people inhabiting the mountains of the Causasus, but also continued their creative work.

[1][5] By this time were born the first children from his second marriage: Prince Grigory in 1850; Princess Mariya (Tiflis, 14 June 1851 - Cannes, 2 August 1941), from whose marriage with Mikhail Nikolaievich Raievsky (1841–1893) she had beside seven other children Irina Mikhailovna Raievskaya, the morganatic wife of George, Duke of Mecklenburg; and Princess Anastasia in 1853.

[8] Some sources list him as the President of the Academy, probably considering the Grand Duchess to be only a formal head of the institution.

As the Vice President of the Academy Gagarin supported the "Byzantine style" (Russian Revival).