Petr Tarasovich Mal'tsev was born in what is today Mariupol, Ukraine. From 1921 to 1924, he studied at the Alexandrovskaia Professional Art School. In 1924, Mal'tsev continued artistic training in Moscow at VKhUTEMAS (Higher Art and Technical Studios) in the department of monumental art. He graduated from there in 1930. Mal'tsev began to exhibit works professionally in 1928, the same year he contributed to the decoration of the VKhUTEMAS/VKhUTEIN Club in Moscow. Mal'tsev became a member of the USSR ...

Iskusstvo was the Art Publishing House (A.K.A. Visual Arts Publishing) that was created in 1936 from Ogiz-Izogiz (State Art and Literature Publishing House). It disseminated books and journals dealing with graphic design and the fine arts, and it issued numerous posters. Since the Iskusstvo banner was part of the State Printing Works in Leningrad (St. Petersburg) and Moscow, its two main offices were located in those two cities.