Robert Canev was born on April 9, 1963 in Gabrovo, Bulgaria. He finishes Iliya Petrov High-school of Arts in Sofia in 1982, and in 1987 graduates from the National Academy of Arts, Sofia, section wood-carving at professor Anton Dontchev's studio. Between 1991 and 2003 Canev tought wood-carving at the High-school of Applied Arts, Sofia. Currently he is associate professor in wood-carving at the National Academy of Arts, Sofia. He is a member of the Union of Bulgarian Artists (UBA), section wood-carving, and between 1999 and 2002 he was a chairman of the section. Robert Canev works in the sphere of small wooden sculpture, monumental arts, iconostasis and non-standard interior decisions.