He was born in Tiflis. The son of a hereditary honorary citizen of Tbilisi and of the pioneer of the book business in the Caucasus, Gustav V. and Karolina Ivanovna (Monier), a Frenchwoman, a student of composer Jacques Offenbach.
In 1880, Fyodor Bernstam graduated from the Tiflis school and in 1882-88 he studied at the St. Petersburg Academy of arts at the faculty of architecture. Architect, graphic, bibliotekoved, bibliographer, art critic, art historian, public figure, member of the Academy of arts, editor-publisher of the magazine,open letter, (1906), member of the Board of editors of the magazine,Architect, member of the Petersburg society of architects, academician, member of many expeditions to study architecture in the Caucasus.
After the revolution, a member of the Board of the Leningrad society of architects (1920).
Built:
tombstone of A. F. Koni on the Tikhvin cemetery; tombstone of M. A. Balakirev. Alexander Nevsky Lavra (1914).
