Angelina Petrovna Belova (Saint Petersburg, Russia, 1879 - Mexico City, 1969) had her first professional inclination studying medicine at the Women’s Study Courses, before undertaking artistic training at a painting academy, where she attended classes in the evenings. Motivated by her teachers, she entered the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg in 1904, where she stayed until relocating to Paris in 1909 to continue her studies. During this time, she became acquainted with Spanish painter María Blanchard, and worked with Henri Matisse and Hermenegildo Anglada Camarasa. 

During a trip to Belgium, she met Diego Rivera, whom she married and in 1917 gave birth to their son, Miguel Ángel Diego, who died at fourteen months old. The couple separated years later, and Beloff remained in Paris until 1932, when politician Bernardo Reyes and painter Germán Cueto invited her to move to Mexico. Her first job was as a drawing and engraving teacher in schools and workshops of the Secretaría de Educación Pública (Ministry of Public Education) and the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (National Institute of Fine Arts). She was a member of the Liga de Escritores y Artistas Revolucionarios (League of Revolutionary Artists and Writers) and a founding member of the Sociedad Mexicana de Grabadores (Mexican Society of Engravers). 

She ventured into painting, graphic arts, drawing, and puppet design. Her work shows the European style she acquired during her years of training, while also reflecting Mexican colors and imagery.