Vladimir Ovchinnikov was born in 1941 in the Perm region, where his family was evacuated during World War II. From 1945 onwards he lived and worked in Leningrad/St Petersburg. Working in the Mariinsky Theatre of St Petersburg as an assistant to the artist Kirill Kustodiev and then in the State Hermitage Museum, was a true school for Ovchinnikov. Further he proceeded with working on church restorations. Since the middle of the 60’s he participated actively in exhibitions of underground art in Russia and abroad.

Ovchinnikov was a recognised artist. A founder of the Leningrad Nonconformist movement, his auction record at Sotheby's is one of the most impressive among contemporary art sales. Internationally acknowledged as one of the leading artists in contemporary Russian art, Ovchinnikov's paintings stand out radically due to his consistent individualistic approach to painting honed and perfected over decades.

His works are on display in museums and galleries in Russia, USA, France, Germany, and other countries. His oil paintings and bronze sculptures can be found in the collections of the Museum of Underground Art (Jersey City, USA), the Metropolitan Art Museum (New York, USA), the State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow, Russia), Museum of Modern Art (Moscow, Russia), the State Hermitage (St Petersburg, Russia), the State Russian Museum (St Petersburg, Russia), Dostoevsky Literary Memorial Museum (St Petersburg, Russia), the State Museum of St Petersburg History (St Petersburg, Russia), the Beijing Art Museum (Beijing, China), the Tartu Art Museum (Estonia) and in private collections in Russia and abroad.