Natalia Sergeevna Goncharova was an outstanding Russian avant-garde artist. She made a considerable contribution to the development of avant-garde art in Russia. Her great-aunt was Natalia Pushkina, wife of the great poet Alexander Pushkin.

Natalya Goncharova was born in the village of Ladyzhino of the Tula Province. In 1901-1909 she studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, where she was initially engaged in sculpturing and then became fond of painting, which she studied under Konstantin Korovin. In 1906 her works were for the first time displayed at exhibitions abroad. In 1900 she got acquainted with her future husband Mikhail Larionov, who was an artist, too. Together with him she took part in numerous art exhibitions in Russia and Europe.

From 1914 Goncharova started working as a theater artist — she designed the staging of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Golden Cockerel” by request of Sergei Diaghilev. In 1915, having accepted Diaghilev’s invitation to work as an artist for the famous ballet company Russian Seasons, Goncharova with the husband moved to France, where they lived the rest of their lives.

Natalya Goncharova died in Paris on October, 17th, 1962.