American Portrait Master Igor Babailov Awarded Highest Honor by Royalty
NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Maestro Igor Babailov, Hon. RAA, world-renowned American portrait master who has painted the official portraits of numerous world leaders including three Popes and a saint for the Vatican, patriarch, presidents, prime ministers, noble peace prize laureate, British royalty, celebrities and distinguished individuals, was awarded the historic "Chevalier of the Order of St. Anne" (1735) received in Malta and personally presented to him by Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, head of the Imperial House of Romanov and descendant of British and European royalty, including Queen Victoria.
The artist was invited to Malta in June to meet for the second time with Maltese President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca and for the royal visit of HIH Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna. He received this honor for his lifetime distinguished career as an international ambassador of culture and arts and for his humanitarian causes for children.
The "Order of St. Anne" imperial order of chivalry was founded February 14th, 1735 by the Duke Karl Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp and in memory of his wife, Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter the Great of Russia. It has been awarded to distinguished individuals throughout the centuries including world leaders, kings, queens, and nobility. Babailov received the award of the 3rd degree, which bestows the Chevalier title and personal nobility to the artist and his wife, Dame Mary Calia Babailov.
The artist's professional 30-year career spans the globe. He was acknowledged by Vatican Curator Roberto Zagnoli, as "Maestro" for his portrait of Pope Benedict XVI, which hangs alongside Renaissance masters works by Michelangelo, Bernini and Giotto. Babailov has painted some of the most important leaders of the 20th and 21st centuries with a massive portfolio of more than 2,000 paintings, half of which are in public, museum and distinguished private collections, including the Vatican Museum, Presidential Libraries, Parliament, the Kremlin and Buckingham Palace, Mount Vernon Museum, West Point Museum, Harvard University and others. His commissioned portraits include Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI, Saint John Paul II, George W. Bush, Vladimir Putin, Nelson Mandela, George Washington (Mount Vernon Museum and Estates), Four Season Hotels founder Isadore Sharp, the Bank of England's Governor Mark Carney and others. Please visit www.Babailov.com Email: [email protected]
SOURCE Igor Babailov
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