10th Anniversary Pontifical Commemorative Edition of the Original Vatican Drawing from Life of Pope Francis

In preparation of the official portrait painting of Pope Francis "The Holy Cross" (Collection Vatican) by world-renowned Maestro Igor Babailov, portrait artist to 3 Popes, world leaders and recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, deemed by Vatican art historian, Liz Lev, as "the gold standard of Catholic artists."

Size: approx. 23" x 20" framed with commemorative plaque

Igor V. Babailov
Biography
Igor V. Babailov, Hon.RAA, KStA, MFA/Ph.D.(NASAD),
D.Litt.(Hon.Causa) is a world-renowned American portrait
artist. Deemed Living Master by his contemporaries, he has
painted over 2,000 commissioned portraits including
Presidents, Supreme Court Justices, Prime Ministers, Fortune
500 CEOs, members of nobility and British Royalty, and three
Popes for the Vatican.
He is the only portrait artist to receive The Ellis Island Medal
of Honor (2022), one of the most prestigious awards in
America, and his name read into the Congressional Record.
Knighted Chevalier of the Order of St. Anne (est.1735), he is a
Distinguished Fellow at Catholic University of America,
Honorary American Academician of the Russian Academy of
Arts (est.1757), and received an Honorary Doctorate from
Cumberland University. Other distinguished awards and
honors for his artistic achievements include Vatican Pontifical Medal, George Washington Presidential Coin,
Award 'For Excellence' from U.S. Military Commander Gen. David Petraeus, and the Joe DiMaggio Official
Major League Baseball Award for Portraiture, presented at Yankee Stadium.
His George Washington portrait hangs in Mount Vernon Museum, and the Vatican Curator acknowledged
Babailov as Maestro for his portrait of Pope Benedict XVI, selected by His Holiness to represent his Papacy for
the Vatican Splendors Museum Tour, where it hung alongside the works of Michelangelo, and other Masters
of the Renaissance.
A child prodigy, Babailov began his formal classical art training at the age of nine, and in the span of 16 years
(1974-1990) he attained the doctoral level of traditional fine art education, contributed to his unparalleled skill
in academic drawing (or drawing from life), which today is a fundamental challenge for many artists.
"Many with a resumé as formidable as that of Igor Babailov's would be tempted to rest on the thick cushion of
laurels that he has accumulated, yet he continues to set the bar higher for himself … ," - writes Elizabeth Lev,
renowned art historian from Rome, in the Foreword to his upcoming book Legacy Portraits.
He is a member of the National Arts Club in New York City and his mid-south studio is in Nashville, Tennessee.
For more information, www.Babailov.com