Born in Moscow, Maria Baibakova earned her BA summa cum laude in Art History from Barnard College, MA from The Courtauld Institute of Art, and MBA from Harvard Business School. In 2008, Baibakova founded Baibakov Art Projects in Moscow, New York, and London - an organization that is committed to the support of contemporary art. Initially founded as an exhibition platform in Moscow, Baibakov Art Projects organized nine critically acclaimed exhibitions in Moscow featuring over seventy artists, as well as produced numerous educational events and publications under Baibakova’s leadership as Director and Chief Curator between 2008 and 2011. Currently, Baibakov Art Projects is a multi-vertical organization that engages in curatorial and editorial work, philanthropy, and strategic consulting projects with organizations and individuals in the arts in support of its mission, including past clients such as Sotheby’s and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts as well as startups such as Artspace.com and ARTA.
Baibakova actively supports women in the creative industries through a variety of projects, including via her role as a trustee of Barnard College where she established a scholarship for women pursuing the study of art history. She is also the founder of the Artemis Council for women artists at the New Museum (New York) and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Women in the Arts (London). In 2009 and 2014, Baibakova was named one of the 100 most influential people in the art world by Art+Auction magazine. Baibakova is also a recognized collector and has been annually included in ARTNews’ Top 200 Collectors list from 2009 to 2013. Baibakova was named one of the "100 Most Powerful Women in the Art World" by Artnet in 2014.