Valerian S. Nesterov was born in 1923 in the town of Dmitriev, in the Kursk region of the central Russia. He lived in the Ukraine and worked in his own art studio in Kharkov, Ukraine. From childhood he loved to draw, and he began attending an art studio for talented youth at the age of ten.

In 1941, when Valerian was 18 years old he wanted to enter Art college. But, instead he was recruited into the Soviet army. He was a bomber pilot for four years during World War II. After the war ended Valerian wanted to leave the air force to study art. But his commander did not want to let him go, because he was a good pilot. Valerian painted a large portrait of his commander and presented it to him. The commander was very impressed with the picture and said, "I don't want  to take the sin on my soul by keeping you in army; you really have to be an artist."

Valerian graduated from Kharkov College of Art in 1951. After graduation he traveled through the many republics of the Soviet Union. Landscape is the primary subject matter of his art. The painting media he uses most of the time are oil and tempera. His first one man show took place in Kharkov, in the Ukraine in 1978. The show was successful and Valerian Nesterov was distinguished by being admitted into the Ukraine Union of Artists. A few years later he had the honor of becoming a member of Union of Artists of the Soviet Union. He had one man shows in Kharkov in both 1991 and 1997.

Mr. Nesterov'is works have been displayed in the museums in Kharkov, Kiev, Moscow and other towns of the former  Soviet Union. Valerian Nesterov has received world recognition, as well. His paintings were shown in art galleries in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, as well as in private collections in the USA, Israel, Poland, Italy, and Japan.