His father Iosif Bentcionovitch Kabakov was a locksmith. His mother Bertha Judelevna Solodukhina was an accountant.
Joined the Union of Soviet Artists in 1959 and became a full member in 1962.
Attended the Leningrad Academy of Art when it was evacuated to Samarkand during World War 2.
From 1945 to 1951 he studied at the Art School, Moscow; in 1957 he graduated from V.I. Surikov State Art Institute, Moscow, where he specialized in graphic design and book illustration.