Born in 1940 in Mytishchi, Moscow region. He graduated from art-graphic faculty of Moscow state pedagogical Institute. Member of the Union of artists of the USSR, the art Fund of the USSR, Moscow Union of artists. Multiple participant of Moscow and Russian exhibitions.
With 1968. he taught at the faculty of fine arts snui.
From 1966 - 1998. worked as the head of the art Studio DK Dept.
From 1971-1972. led experimental Studio art at the Moscow house of Folk art to its disbandment.
From 1977-1990. member of the Commission of the Moscow Union of artists work with Amateur artists.
Until 2002 he was a member of the Commission on work with Amateur artists at the Ministry of culture of Russia.
In their creative quest. GN Rotanov mastered the methods of work of different directions of modern art: from impressionism to pure abstraction. Today his works are in private collections in Russia and Europe. The first collector of works by N. M. Rotanova became famous authoritative connoisseur of Russian avant-garde art George Costaki. Graphic books stored in the book Museum of Russian state library.
For his work in the art Studio of the all awarded a badge "For achievements in the Amateur art." For the organization of artistic life and a high level of Amateur artists of the Novgorod and Novgorod region was awarded the Ministry of culture and the Central Committee of trade Union of workers of culture No. 35 08.12.86. In the year 2000. on the recommendation snoi was awarded the medal "In commemoration of the 850th anniversary of Moscow" No. 0289787.
Born in the suburbs. At age 9 his family moved to Moscow. In Moscow started in the city house of pioneers in the studios of drawing and sculpture. Drawing Voronin, sculpture — O. Ikonnikova.
In 1961 he entered the Moscow State Pedagogical Institute (MGPI) on art-graphic faculty.
1966 graduated from the Institute and participated in 7 Youth exhibition. Later on he participated in many all-Union and Republican exhibitions of the Moscow Union of artists (MOSH). Member of the Union of artists since 1978.
From 1967 he worked as the head of art Studio at DK Moscow power engineering Institute (MPEI).
From 1968 he taught at the people's Correspondence University of arts. Since the end of 1970-ies Rotanov began to engage in experimental art: non-objective painting and graphics, presenting the poems left by the Soviet poet Alexander Kruchenykh, G. Aigi. His work ceased to take an official exhibition.
Since the mid-1980s, the artists of Moscow Union of artists began to organize exhibitions of his experimental work, intended for colleagues and art critics. Them together Rotanova participated E. Bulatov, L. Purygin, Chuikov, G. Bruskin and others.
April 1986 the Exhibition "Scientific-technical progress and art" in the CHA. In the section of the avant-garde were exhibited the works of artists such as: A. Drevin, N. Udaltsov, P. Kuznetsov, A. Exter, A. Lentulov, E. Vesnin, V. Tatlin, A. Tyshler, D. Schr, A. Rodchenko, N. Goncharov. In the section of modern art: D. Plavinsky, A. Grositsky, Zlotnikov, N. Rotanov.
April 1988 Exhibition of Soviet and Italian artists in the Arena. 1989 "Exhibition without a jury" at the Kuznetsk bridge. Rotanov showed abstract painting.
1992 contemporary art Exhibition, organized by the START of the CEH. Participants: A. Zverev, M. Shemyakin, E. Neizvestny, Oleg Tselkov, Vladimir Yakovlev, N. Rotanov, etc..