Wladimir Ivanoff presumably settled in Istanbul in 1920. Not only did he become one of the founders and chairman of the Union of Russian Painters in Constantinople, but he also became famous for “Drawing Thursdays”, which took place at his apartment. Artists such as the painter Nikolai Vasilieff, the architect Nikolai Vasiliev (Nicholas B. Vassilieve), Nikolai Saretzki, Nikolai Becker, Vladimir Bobritsky, Fridolin, Khudyakov, Pinegin, and many others were regular visitors to these “Thursdays”: “At first, everyone painted from life (usually models were also invited), after everyone drank tea and hotly discussed burning issues of the day” (Novitskiy, “Pamyati hudojnika W.S. Ivanova”, 1965). Judging by newspaper reports, critics rated Ivanoff's Istanbul works as highly successful. Thus, in 1922 the following was written about him: “A talented artist. The ships created in epic style are very colourful and good.” In 1923: “This artist interprets the nature he contemplates in a very special way. His landscapes form whole symphonies of clouds. Mr. Ivanoff conveys them as something spiritualised and his landscapes are extremely interesting” (Ted’, “K Vystavke Hudojnikov”, 1923). Curiously, his art education (Moscow, Art school of F.I. Rerberg; he considered Konstantin Korovin and Rerberg to be his teachers) was preceded by a commercial one, since Wladimir came from a merchant family (he graduated from the Kharkiv Commercial School). It is possible that he became the leader of the Union precisely because of this combination of skills. It is known, for example, that the Union did not just simply function, but also “helped its members to find work, supported them in difficult times and did not let those who were tired and exhausted become despondent” (Novitskiy, “Pamyati hudojnika W.S. Ivanova”, 1965).

After Istanbul Wladimir Ivanoff moved to New York. From 1923 until his death he was engaged in painting, creating sculptures and writing poetry. Vyacheslav Zavalishin, who visited his New York studio, noted the painter’s landscapes: “The artist has many landscapes, but at the same time the best, the most romantic ones remained unsold. Ivanoff is especially attracted to the harbours of Maine and remote rivers and lakes. He applied the formal aesthetic achievements of Levitan, Ostroukhov, Dubovsky to the depiction of American nature.” According to Zavalishin, Ivanoff did not have a shortage of orders, but, unfortunately, only his customised works became famous. In his opinion, the works that Ivanoff painted for himself are little known, although they certainly deserve attention. In New York he was moreover one of the leaders of the Society of Friends of Russian Culture and, to quote Novitskiy, “brought joy everywhere and was always up to scratch”.