Nikola Zlatev was born on December 12, 1907 in Vrachan district. In 1932, he graduated in Painting at the Art Academy in Sofia in the class of Prof. Tseno Todorov and graphics in the class of Prof. V. Zahariev. From 1934 to 1948 he worked as a teacher. He actively participated in the artistic life in Bulgaria since his graduation from the Academy of Arts and organized several solo exhibitions - in Cairo, Egypt (1936), Svilengrad (1936), Pleven (1938, 1942), Sofia (1946, 1967), as well as his works are included in group expositions in the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Yugoslavia, USA, France, Egypt, Albania. He died in 1989 in Sofia.