Mikhail Borisovich Piotrovski was born in Yerevan in 1944. His father, Boris Borisovich Piotrovski, an eminent archaeologist, was Director of The State Hermitage Museum from 1964 until his death in 1990.

Mikhail Borisovich Piotrovski was brought up in St. Petersburg (Leningrad), spent many hours in the Hermitage as a child, and studied in the Museum’s art history school. He graduated with honors from the Oriental Faculty of Leningrad State University, specializing in Arabic Studies, in 1967. He also attended Cairo University from 1965 to 1966. He entered the Leningrad branch of the Institute for Oriental Studies as a research assistant in 1967, obtained a doctorate in history, and worked there until 1991. Following his father’s death he was invited, in 1991, to join the Hermitage staff as the First Deputy Director. In July 1992 he was appointed Director of the Museum by a decree of the Prime Minister.

Dr. Piotrovski has taken part in archaeological excavations in the Caucasus, Central Asia and Yemen. He is an author of more than 250 works including catalogues of Arabic manuscripts, publications of Medieval monuments and ancient inscriptions, works on Islamic political history and Arabic culture. Among them: series of articles devoted to the Muslim mythology in The Encyclopedia of World Mythology, series of articles about the prophet Muhammad and the monographs: The Legend of the Himyarite King As'ad al-Kamil (1977), Fundamentals of Arab-Islamic Art (1984), Southern Arabia in the Early Middle Ages (1985), Islam: An Encyclopaedia (1991), Tales of the Koran (1991). The Hermitage: Essays on the History of the Collection (a co-author, 1997); Earthy Art - Heavenly Beauty. Art of Islam (an editor, 2000); On Islamic Art (2001), The Hermitage (2003); The Great Collections of the Great Museum. The Hermitage (2003); The Historical Legends of Koran (2005), The Islamic Art. Between China and Europe (2008), The View from the Hermitage (2009), The Two Holy Sites Regained. Futuh al-Haramayn (2011).

Dr. Piotrovski is a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Academy of Arts, a foreign member of Academy of Art, Armenia; a member of Academy of Sciences, Tatarstan; a member of the President’s Council for Culture and Art; a member of the President’s Council for Science and Education; professor of St. Petersburg State University, were he chairs two departments - “Museology” and “The History of Ancient Orient”, a Dean of Oriental faculty; a Honorary professor of Kazan University and Honorary professor of Saratov State University. He is a President of the Union of Museums in Russia, a President of the Worldwide Club of St. Petersburg, a Chairman of the board of the European University in St. Petersburg, a Corresponding Member of the German Archeological Institute, an Editor-in-chief of the magazine The Christian Orient. He is a member of the Group of Consultants for Council of Europe art exhibitions, and other national and international organizations.

He has been awarded the Netherlands Order of Orange-Nassau (1996), the Russian Order of Honor (1997), the French Order of the Légion d'Honneur (1998, 2004), the Swedish Order of the Northern Star (1999), the Order of Merit to Italian Republic (2000, 2004), the Order of Saint Mesrop, Armenian Apostle Church (2000), the Order of Yaroslav the Wise (Ukraine, 2003), the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (2004), the Order of Service to the Fatherland (Russia, 2004, 2009), the Presidential Prize in the Field of Art and Literature (Russia, 2003), the Order of Honor Al-Fahr (the Council of Muftis of Russia, 2005),the Order of the Finnish Lion (2005); the Order of Sun, Japan (2007); the Silver Medal of Amsterdam (2009); Woodrow Wilson Award, USA (2009); the Order of the Crown, Kingdom of Belgium (2011); medal of Anatoliy Koni, Ministry of Justice (2013).

In 1997, a minor planet was named “Piotrovski” by the Astronomical Union in joint honor of Mikhail Borisovich Piotrovski and his father Boris Borisovich Piotrovski.

In 2011, Mikhail Borisovich Piotrovski was awarded the title of Honored Citizen of St. Petersburg.

Mikhail Borisovich is married and has two children.