Anatolii Zverev was born in Moscow in 1931. He studied at the Institute of the 1905 Revolution but was expelled for his «formalist» tendencies. In 1957 he participated in the Third Exhibition of Young Artists of Moscow and the Moscow Region. In 1958 he received a gold medal at the Sixth World Festival of Youth and Students.
In the 1960s Zverev was known for his refined artistic taste and extraordinary artistic abilities. In 1965 he exhibited more than a hundred paintings at the Motte Gallery in Geneva, Switzerland, which at the time constituted one of the largest solo shows by an unofficial Soviet artist in the West. He continued to exhibit his work throughout Europe and the United States, and participated in important exhibits in Russia such as the Druzhba Club exhibit in 1967 and the Twenty Moscow Artists show of 1974.
Zverev’s art is representative of Russian Expressionism; while severely reduced, it remains figurative and recognizable. Zverev’s works can be found in many major collections throughout Europe and the United States, including the Cremona Foundation in Maryland and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Zverev died in Moscow in 1986.