Maria Chambers-Bilibina (née Chambers) was born in St. Petersburg, Russian Empire (now Russia), on 1 March 1874 to Irish and English parents. She was educated in the Russian Empire and worked as a book illustrator, designer, and painter. During the First World War, Chambers-Bilibina was in Europe with her sons and became stateless in 1917 after the revolutions in Russia; however, the family resettled in England, where she continued to paint.
Maria Chambers-Bilibina (née Chambers) was born in St. Petersburg, Russian Empire (now Russia) on 1 March 1874 to Irishman James Steven Chambers and Englishwoman Elizabeth Mary Paige. She was the sister of the graphic artist Vladimir Chambers (who also moved to England). Like her brother, she studied at the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts and at Princess Maria Tenisheva’s Art Studio during the 1890s, under the Russian painter Ilya Repin. She visited England for the first time in 1896.
In the early 20th century, she was an active artist, painter, illustrator, and designer, working across various mediums but primarily recognised for her contributions to book illustration and design. She designed books for publishing houses in St. Petersburg, illustrated postcards for the St. Eugenia Community, and produced ex-libris prints. She also collaborated with leading private publishers, including Iosif Knebel. One of her most significant projects was illustrating Collected Works by Mikhail Lermontov, published by Pechatnik in Moscow between 1914 and 1915. This edition included her illustrations for Three Palms, Litvinka, and Oleg. Her work represented an early effort to merge the book illustration techniques developed by Mir Iskusstva (World of Art) movement with the themes and aesthetic of Lermontov’s poetry. In addition to her work in book illustration, she was also active as an independent artist. She exhibited in major shows, including those organised by the New Artists’ Society (St. Petersburg, 1909, 1913), the Union of Russian Artists (St. Petersburg and Kyiv, 1910), and the Mir Iskusstva Association (St. Petersburg, 1912, 1913; Moscow, 1912; Kyiv, 1913). Her work was also featured at the Izdebskiy Salon (1909, 1910). Chambers-Bilibin’s artistic style was largely shaped by the Mir Iskusstva movement, with significant influences from her future husband, Ivan Bilibin, and Heorhiy Narbut. Through this group, she also became acquainted with the Russian artist Anna Ostroumova-Lebedeva. Chambers-Bilibin’s style also often demonstrates a highly decorative and fantastical approach, characterised by intricate line work and rich, often fantastical compositions. Her illustrations frequently incorporate elements of folklore and the grotesque, blending organic forms with imaginative creatures that evoke both myth and dreamlike symbolism. The use of bold colour contrasts and stylised patterns reflects influences from Art Nouveau and traditional Russian folk art, lending a sense of movement and dynamism to the imagery. Additionally, the compositions often depict moments of high drama, emphasising exaggerated gestures and an intense interplay between human figures and supernatural elements.
From 1902 to 1911, Chambers was married to Ivan Bilibin, a renowned Russian book illustrator and set designer, as well as a member of Mir Iskusstva. The two first met at the Tenisheva studio, where he was her teacher. One of their two sons, Aleksandr, who later became an artist, contracted scarlet fever, which led to complications resulting in deafness. In 1914, Chambers-Bilibin travelled to Switzerland with both of her children in search of medical treatment for Aleksandr. They remained there throughout the First World War. After leaving Switzerland, Chambers-Bilibin and her sons stayed with Russian friends in Italy but eventually settled in England. During the second half of 1916, they lived in Paris before travelling to London in January 1917, intending to return to Russia via Scandinavia. However, following the February and October Revolutions of 1917, returning to Russia became impossible, and they were rendered stateless.
From 1917 onwards, Chambers-Bilibin and her sons remained in England, where they were allowed to stay due to her English heritage. At various points in her life, her artistic career stalled, either due to political upheaval and forced migration or because she prioritised raising her sons. Despite these challenges, she continued to paint while living in England. Her son Ivan later became a journalist in the UK and, in his later years, served as secretary and adviser to Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich. In 1922, Bilibin wrote to Chambers-Bilibin requesting a divorce so he could marry another of his former pupils. She did not respond to his request, but by 1923, the marriage had been legally dissolved. In 1931, Chambers-Bilibin exhibited her work at the Exhibition of the Russian Group at Prince Vladimir Galitzine’s Gallery (established by the St. Petersburg-born aristocrat who fled the Bolsheviks in 1919) in Mayfair, London. She remained in England and continued working as an artist until her death in 1962 in Kidmore End, Oxfordshire, where she is also buried. Her works are preserved in a family collection in the UK and are not part of any public collection.