Sergey Stroganov

Count Sergei Grigoryevich Stroganov (; 8 November 1794 – 22 March 1882) was a Russian nobleman, statesman, art historian, archaeologist, collector, and philanthropist. He was a member of the highly successful and prominent Stroganov family He also founded the Stroganov Moscow State Academy of Arts and Industry. Life He was born in Saint Petersburg, the capital of the Russian Empire, in 1794 to Baron Grigory Stroganov (1770–1857) and Princess Anna Trubetskaya (1765–1824). As a teenager and young adult, he fought for Russia in the Napoleonic Wars and distinguished himself at the Battle of Borodino and at the Battle of Leipzig. In 1815, Stroganov married Natalia Pavlovna Stroganova (1796–1872), daughter of Sophie Golitsyn, with whom he had four sons and three daughters. Subsequently, Stroganov participated in the Russian-Turkish War of 1828–1829 and in the Crimean War. Count Stroganov played a large role in the development of the Russian education and culture during the 19th century. In 1825, Stroganov founded the first private academy of art in Russia (in Moscow) using his own money. This art academy taught arts and crafts to 360 people, including to children and serfs. From 1835 until 1847, Stroganov was the curator of the Moscow Educational District, which included Moscow University (now known as Moscow State University) which then flourished as a major center of Russian intellectual life. In 1860, this art academy was renamed the Stroganov School (it is now known as it Stroganov Moscow State University of Arts and Industry), and it produced many prominent architects and artists.