(b. 1946) Born in 1946, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Umarbekov is one of the key figures of contemporary art in the country. He began exhibiting his works both within the Soviet Union and abroad in 1964, while still a student. In 1966, he moved to Moscow to study at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography. After completing his studies, he returned to his hometown, where he became known for boldly crossing boundaries and abandoning the rigid norms of the past to create his original interpretation of the Uzbek heritage. A celebrated artist, Umarbekov has exhibited his art in prestigious exhibition centers and museums, both in Uzbekistan and abroad; including the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, the UN headquarters in New York, the National Ukrainian Academy of Arts and the M.P. Kroshitsky Sevastopol Art Museum in Kiev, Ukraine. He was awarded the honorary title, People’s Artist of Uzbekistan in 1989 and later as an Honorary Professor of the National Ukrainian Academy of Arts in 2011. Umarbekov is an active member of the Academy of Arts of the Republic, a full member of the Academy of Arts of Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine; and is a professor at the Bekhzod National Institute of Art and Design in Tashkent.