George Pocheptsov

George Pocheptsov was born in Philadelphia, PA in 1992 to Ukrainian parents. When Pocheptsov was 11 months old, his father became ill with a brain tumor. He died in 1995 at the age of 40. Though he was just a toddler, his mother gave him a pencil and some paper to keep him busy. At 17 months old, he drew a remarkable replica of an antique car parked across the street. At an age where most children had barely graduated from finger painting, Pocheptsov was drawing jesters, pregnant women, and four-headed giraffes, all in luminescent colors. He started to paint six months before he started to talk. Completely self-taught, Pocheptsov is often compared by the press to a young Picasso or Chagall. He speaks fluent Russian, Ukrainian, French, and English and his paintings now sell for up to $200,000. For many art experts, Pocheptsov is, without question, a child prodigy. This young man has a unique and exceptional talent. Pocheptsov has appeared in many leading magazines and newspapers, including Time, The New York Times, People, Parents, The Washingtonian, US Art, Art and Antiques, Art News, Architectural Digest, Southern Living, Spirit of the Carolinas, and many others. He has also made appearances on the Oprah Show, Good Morning America, The John Walsh Show, The Today Show, Ripley's Believe It or Not, The Later Today Show, Nickelodeon, just to name a few. During the last eight years, he was commissioned to do paintings for Colin Powell, Hillary Clinton, Celine Dion, Michael Jordan, Alain Ducasse, among other prominent figures. He was commissioned to create sculptured paintings, a self-invented technique, for the Mitchell Camera Museum in London and for the United Nations' 60th anniversary exhibition. Pocheptsov was also invited to Geneva, Switzerland for a book titled "Art and Copyrights" in which he was featured. He was recently featured in a book titled "Route 9" which will debut in Copenhagen, Denmark next year. His largest artwork to date, titled "Primavera," is featured on the cover. Internationally, Pocheptsov has been featured in prominent museums and galleries in England, France, Korea, South Africa, Holland, Russia, Japan, and the Ukraine. The documentary film detailing Pocheptsov's life, "Brush with Destiny," recently won four Emmy Awards. His art career is equally matched by his charitable contributions. To date, Pocheptsov's charitable foundation has donated over five million dollars through the auctioning of his artwork. Charities supported include the "America's Promise" Alliance by Colin Powell, Georgetown University Pediatrics, Duke University Pediatrics, The John Walsh Missing and Exploited Children Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, The American Cancer Society, and many others. He supports over sixty charities a year. Recently, Pocheptsov has been commissioned to create an official United States postal stamp for the Brain Tumor Awareness Organization. In 2010, Pocheptsov received exclusive early admission offers from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Duke, Brown, the University of Pennsylvania for his exceptional art career and philanthropic achievements at such a young age.