Although Yuriy moved to Germany when he was seven and lived there for seven years, he was not spared the fate of many victims of Chernobyl. When he was 14 his family moved to Russia and at 21 Yuriy was diagnosed with cancer, severeness of which made doctors believe Yuriy had only six months to live. Yuriy went through this nightmare with his eyes wide open, believing that life had prepared more for him then that. He battled his deadly disease and won. After a struggle for life Yuriy came to the USA with a strong desire to start a new life – one without illness, pain or suffering.
He settled in Provincetown MA, a former fishing village well known by its artistic community, and began a new period of his life, which revealed Yuriy’s artistic talent. Lonely Provincetown winters made Yuriy paint for the first time, and suddenly he realized that painting brought everything that was missing in his life - inspiration and satisfaction. “My paintings,” he says, “reveal my inner world. Everything I feel is on the canvas. ”Amazingly enough Yuriy never studied art: following his heart he has truely found his destiny and life mission.
In 2005 Yuriy Litvinov founded Pioneer Gallery in Provincetown with the aim of helping young artists make their first carrier steps.
In 2008 together with Anastassia Fokina, Yuriy Litvinov created Pioneer Foundation, a non-profit organization with the goal to establish a new type of art school with a new innovative approach to education and self development.
In August 2010 Yuriy held a light installation in Provincetown which opened up one more of his talents - superb imagination and the ability to experiment with all kinds of media.
After seven years living in Provincetown, in 2010 Yuriy moved to New York where he continues his artistic career.
Once being terribly close to death, Yuriy knows the price of each day of life and never takes anything for granted.
Even the sky is not the limit for him. Yuriy is a staunch believer in himself. His goals go far beyond his own life; he aims to change the whole world for the better.
