Nikita Akinfiyevich Demidov

Who was Nikita Akinfiyevich Demidov?

Nikita Akinfiyevich Demidov was a Russian industrialist and arts patron.

He was the younger son of Akinfiy Demidov, brother of Prokofi Demidov and father of Nikolai Demidov.

Inheriting mines and metallurgical factories in the Urals and Siberia, he was also a major landowner, with properties in central and southern Russia and in Italy. He was an amateur scientist, the first member of the Demidov family to protect the arts actively and a major traveller, journeying abroad to see Europe's industrial innovations, manners and culture. In 1786 he published a Journal of his foreign travels, and also corresponded with Voltaire and Diderot. In 1779 he set up a medal to reward a success in mechanics, to be decided by the Russian Academy of Sciences.