Baron Nikolai Nikolaevich Wrangel, one of the outstanding art historians of pre-revolutionary Russia, came from an ancient Swedish noble family. He was the son of the well-known businessman and philanthropist Nikolai Egorovich Wrangel and the younger brother of General and leader of the White movement, Peter Nikolaevich Wrangel.

Nikolai was born on July 14, 1880, in the estate of Golovkovka in the Kiev province. In 1890, his family moved to Rostov-on-Don, where he studied at a real gymnasium. In 1897, after moving to St. Petersburg, he continued his education at the Petrovsky Fourth Real School, but due to health issues, he could not finish it and went to Italy for treatment.

In 1900, Nikolai finally moved to Petersburg and in November 1901, he began working in the office of Empress Maria. Here he showcased his creative talent by organizing art exhibitions. The last of these took place in 1912.

In 1901, he organized the exhibition "Russian Portrait Painting over 150 Years," which opened at the Academy of Sciences in March 1902. The exhibition catalog became his first printed work. That same year, he traveled through Russian estates in search of artworks.

In 1903, Wrangel participated in organizing the exhibition "Old Petersburg." Together with Prince Sergey Shcherbatov and Vladimir von Meck, he compiled the exhibition catalog. In 1905, he helped Diaghilev arrange a portrait exhibition at the Tauride Palace and wrote an article about the exhibition for the magazine "Art."

In 1904, Wrangel published a two-volume catalog "The Russian Museum of Emperor Alexander II. Painting and Sculpture." His works were highly praised for their meticulousness and attention to detail.

From 1906 to 1908, he served in the Imperial Hermitage, and in 1907, he became a regular contributor to the magazine "Old Years." Alexander Benois noted him as a public figure striving to understand modern Russia through the study of the past.

In 1907, he wrote the section "Sculpture" for "History of Russian Art." In October 1908, Wrangel became a founder of the Museum of Old Petersburg and organized the exhibition "Old Years."

In October 1909, he was elected a member of the Directorate of the Museum of Old Petersburg. In 1911-1912, he edited the magazine "Apollo," organized the exhibition of Venetsianov, and a historical architecture exhibition. In 1912, he became the commissioner of the exhibition at the Academy of Sciences and participated in the international congress of historians in Rome.

On April 30, 1913, he opened the exhibition "The Heritage of Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna" at the Hermitage. With the onset of World War I, Wrangel enlisted in the hospital and worked in a sanitary train, which worsened his health. He passed away on June 15, 1915, from kidney inflammation.

He was buried at the Nikolsky Cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Alexander Benois noted him in his obituary as a hero and knight of art. During the Soviet era, Wrangel's name was banned, but in our time, his memory is being restored. In 2004, his grave was restored, and in 2009, the "St. Petersburg Society for the Study and Preservation of the Wrangel Heritage" was established.