Nikolay Kostrov was born on May 19, 1901 in the village Vasilievsky, Vyatka province. In 1926 he graduated from the Leningrad VHUTEIN (the Leningrad Higher Institute of Industrial Art, before 1918 known as the High Art School under Imperial Academy of Arts). I studied with Alexander Savinov, Alexander Karev, Mikhail Matyushin. He has participated in exhibitions since 1926. Member of the Leningrad Union of Artists since 1932. He painted portraits, landscapes, still-lifes, illustrated books. He worked in the technique of oil painting, collage, pencil drawing. Personal exhibitions in Leningrad (1937, 1962, 1973, 1979), Moscow (1974, 1983), Petersburg (1996). The works of Nikolai Kostrov are in the State Russian Museum, in museums and private collections in Russia, Germany, France and other countries.