Born in 1888 in the village of Dyagilevo, Vladimirskaya guberniya, and died there in 1979. Zinovyev studied under M.P. Parilov and E.S. Styagov at the icon-painting workshops of V.E. Belousov and at the educational workshops of the Committee of Russian Icon-Painting Guardianship (1902-1906). Having finished his education Zinovyev worked at the icon-painting workshops in Peterburg and Moscow.
In 1926 the master joined the Artel of Ancient Painting. Zinoviev did porcelain and monumental painting: murals of Novo-Afonskiy Simono-Kananitskiy Monastery (1911-1913), murals of Gorkiy's room in the Young Pioneer Palace in Leningrad in 1936, murals in the Young Pioneer Palace in Ivanovo in 1937, restoration of frescoes of the Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin (1945-1949), restoration of the Lacquered Study of Monplaisir pavilion in Petergof (1955-1957), and murals of Palaces of Culture and child welfare institutions all over Russia.
Zinovyev didn't leave apart scenery art, book miniature, and graphics: in 1942 he designed dresses for I.I. Sharts's ballet "The Land of Miracles", in 1936 - illustrations for N.A. Nekrasov's poem "Peasant Children", in 1946 - illustrations for S.A. Basov-Verkhoyantsev's fairy-tales. Themes the artist preferred to depict are folklore, literature, contemporary and genre scenes. The examples of his talented works that have participated in exhibitions since 1928 are his pieces "Pleasure-Ground in the Village", "Decembrists", "Komsomol", "The Little Hump-Backed Horse", "Peasant Children", "Moscow the Port", "On Pushkin's Themes", "At the Seaside", "Peacock", "The Song of the Falcon", "Provenance of the Earth", "Mother's Joy", and "Fantasy".
Nikolay Michailovich taught at the Palekh Art School (1933-1979), and in 1944 he became a director of the State Museum of Palekh Art. During all his art creative career Nikolay Michailovich was awarded with many rewards and titles: Honored Figure of Art (1956), People's artist of Russia (1970), I.E. Repin prize-winner (1970), People's artist of the USSR (1974), Hero of Socialist Labor (1978). His outstanding services also include his authorship of such books as "The Art of Palekh" (1969) and "Stylistic Traditions of Palekh Art" (1981).
Many museums reserve in their collections works by Nikolay Zinovyev, among them are the State Museum of Palekh Art, Museum of Folk Art, State Tretiyakov Gallery, Russian Folk Arts and Crafts Museum, State Museum of Ethnography of Peoples of Russia, and Ryazan Regional Art Museum.
Reference: page 201 of
 Pirogova L., 1994, "PALEKH HISTORY AND MODERN TIME", ISKUSSTVO, ROSKNIGA, Moscow, 5-210-01301-4
 Bratchikova Ye. K., 1996, "MINIATURISTS OF PALEKH. NAME REFERENCE", RUSSLIT, Moscow, 5-7739-0001-7, 5-86508-035-0
Russian lacquerware expert Bratchikova E., Shumkov V. refers to "Зиновьев" on page 10 of  Bratchikova E., Shumkov V., 1992, "Molodaya Gvardiya", Moscow
Russian lacquerware expert Navozov A. refers to "Зиновьев" on page 133 of  Navozov A., 1976, "MIRACLE OF PALEKH", Soviet Russia, Moscow, 5-86884-029-1
Russian lacquerware expert Zinoviev N.M. refers to "Зиновьев" on page 10 of  Zinoviev N.M., 1974, "PALEKH ART (second edition)", Hudozhnik RSFSR Publishing, Leningrad,
Russian lacquerware expert A. N. Reyson-Pravdin refers to "Зиновьев" on page 51 of  A. N. Reyson-Pravdin, 1956, "Ivan Ivanovich Golikov", Sovetskiy hudozhnik, Moscow, Malo-moskovskaya, 42,
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