Born in 1903 in a small town of Schedrin, Bobruisk district, Minsk province.

Upon completion of a vocational school in 1919 in Kiev, he worked as a student at the workshop of advertisements.

In January 1918, Zinoviy Tolkachev joined the Socialist Union of Working Youth; he took part in the first congress of Komsomol of Ukraine (June-July 1919).

In 1919-1920, he studied in Moscow for a short time.

In 1922, he joined the Communist Party of USSR. In 1922-1924, he studied at the Artem Communist University in Kharkov, Ukraine.

1925-1927 – served in the Red Army (machine-gunner).

Since 1925 – participation in republican and national artistic exhibitions of Soviet arts abroad.

In 1928-1929, studied at the graphics department of the Kiev Arts Institute, where in 1930-1934 he also lectured.

During the Second World War (from July 1941 through May 1946, he served as a private and an artist in the Soviet Army)

Zinoviy Tolkachev died on August 30, 1977, in Kiev.