Prince Rostislav Rostislavovich Romanov () (born 21 May 1985) is an American-born Russian prince living in the UK as an artist. He is a member of the Romanov family. The House of Romanov was the former ruling Russian Imperial dynasty. He is also known by the names "Rosti" and "Misha". As none of the sons of Prince Andrew Romanov have male offspring, Rostislav is likely to one day inherit their claim to the Russian throne.
Early life
Romanov was born in Lake Forest, Illinois in 1985 as the second child and an eldest son of Prince Rostislav Rostislavovich Romanov (1938-1999) and his wife, Lady Ampthill (b. 1949).
Education
Rostislav was educated at Brambletye and Milton Abbey Schools, and at Falmouth University where he graduated with a BA in Fine Art.
Work
Rostislav is a landscape artist. He is particularly interested in en plein air painting and much of his artwork depicts the Sussex countryside or is inspired by his travels in Russia and elsewhere. He works primarily with oil and creates sculptural, three-dimensional paintings primarily in impasto. His most significant early work uses pastels. Pastels, or watercolours, is also the medium of studies for his more important paintings. His work includes relief printing, and dry-point, and soft ground acid etchings.
Exhibitions
His first solo exhibition was in 2011 at the Fabrica Gallery, Coupla in Moscow. He has since participated in numerous exhibitions both in the UK and internationally. He has exhibited twice in the A. Kasteev Art Museum in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and participated in exhibitions in Dubai and Monaco. In London he has exhibited twice at the Brick Lane Gallery, London. In May 2018 he has a solo exhibition "Way of Life" at The C. John Gallery, Mayfair. He is represented by the Maison d'Art Gallery in Monaco , and The Martix System in the U.K.
Birth and family
Prince Rostislav Rostislavovich was born in Lake Forest, Illinois, the eldest son and second child of Prince Rostislav Rostislavovich and his second wife, Christia Ipsen (b. 1949). He has an older sister, Princess Alexandra (b. 1983), and a younger brother, Prince Nikita (b. 1987). From his father's first marriage to Stephena Verdel Cook, he has an older half-sister, Princess Stephena (b. 1963).
Prince Rostislav belongs to the Mihailovichi branch of the Romanov family as a male line descendant of Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia, the youngest son of Emperor Nicholas I. He is also a descendant of Emperors Alexander II and Alexander III, being the great grandson of Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia (sister of the last Emperor Nicholas II) and her husband Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia. Prince Rostislav has been a member of the Romanov Family Association since 1985 and was a committee member between 2007 and 2013. In addition, through his paternal grandmother, he is also a descendant of Sophia Palaiologina and Ivan III of Russia
The Prince lived in Chicago until he was two months old, when his father moved his family to London. The family then moved to the town of Rye in East Sussex, where he spent his teenage years. Prince Rostislav was educated at Brambletye and Milton Abbey Schools, and at Falmouth University where he read Fine Art.
Prince Rostislav visited Russia in 1998 with his parents and siblings to attend the reburial rites of Emperor Nicholas II and his family. Six months later, on 7 January 1999, his father died during the Russian Christmas celebration. Though he had been treated for cancer, some speculate that he contracted a rare illness from the dust at the church where the Imperial funeral was held. The loss of the late Prince's income left his family facing financial difficulties. In order to provide for the family Princess Romanova started a bed and breakfast in an 18th-century mansion in Rye, East Sussex. The house was in a semi-derelict state, though, and in need of renovation. As there was initially no kitchen, the children had to carry buckets of water up to the bathroom in order to wash the dishes in the bathtub. His mother later married David Whitney Erskine Russell, the heir to the title Baron Ampthill.