In 1970 Pogrebinsky passed the competitive entrance examinations for the Art Institute of Kiev.   The Institute accepted only 15 new students per Major every year, about 350 applied annually.   The Institute consisted of six Majors:  Painting, Graphics, Sculpture, Theatre, Art History, and Architecture.  He entered the Institute with Painting as his Major.I

In the course of six years Pogrebinsky studied the subjects of Painting, Drawing, Composition, Perspective, Technology of Art Materials, Anatomy, Basics of Architecture, and a whole school of theoretical subjects like philosophy, art history, etc.

Pogrebinsky studied in the studio of Academician Victor Vasilievich Shatalin, Professor, and National Artist of the Soviet Union.   Pogrebinsky greatly respected and loved his teacher.   The friendship between the two artists exists to this day.

In 1976 Pogrebinsky graduated from the Institute with a diploma of an Artist in the Art of Painting.   After this Pogrebinsky began working as an independent artist, with many commissions and exhibitions.

In 1987 Pogrebinsky painted Komsomol for which he received the First Lenin Prize of the Ukrainian Komsomol (could be the equivalent of Pulitzer Prize, but in artistic achievement).   In the same year Pogrebinsky was accepted into the highly distinguished Union of Artists, which was rare for an artist of his age.   Also that year Pogrebinsky was accepted into the Academy of Arts of the USSR, the highest educational institution for artists.

In the Academy Pogrebinsky was taught in the studio of Sergei Alexeavich Grigoriev, National Artist of the Soviet Union, and Academician.   And also under the supervision of Academician Alexander Gritsai. 

During these years Alexander produced paintings which were displayed in national exhibitions, as well as those of the republics of the USSR.   As his dissertation Pogrebinsky painted To The Top  a painting about alpinists.    A painting which took Pogrebinsky to the Republic of Georgia to collect materials for the work.

In 1979 Pogrebinsky met with Lena Zinchenko at the studio of sculptor Sergei Youhno.   In 1980 they were married and two children where born, Alexander and Natalie.  

Every year Pogrebinsky displayed his work at the exhibitions in Moscow and Kiev, and worked on his private commissions.   One of his most famous works of the time was the triptych Let There Be Sunshine was composed in 1984.   Pogrebinsky used his wife and children as the models for this work.   Throughout the years Pogrebinsky’s family appears to be the main source of modeling for his work.

The central part of the triptych was published in the famous magazine Ukraine, equivalent to America’s Time Magazine.   The triptych was purchased by the Ministry of Culture of the Ukraine, and to this day is displayed at different exhibitions in Kiev.

Another famous work of the time was commissioned by the Ministry of Culture, the painting Lenin and the American Journalist Williams.   This historical work can be found in the Museum of Kiev.  

Out of his personal works, not commissioned by any Soviet officials, was Vroubel which is located in the Museum of Kiev.  And the painting masterpiece In the Memory of Mikhail Boulgakov or Boulgakov, which was displayed in France and purchased by a private American collector.   This painting was one of the last great works of the artists Soviet Period.