1953-1959 studied painting at the Lithuanian State Art Institute. He was taught painting by Antanas Gudaitis, Vincas Dilka, Vladas Karatajus and others. From 1960 he taught art at the Vilnius J. Vienožinskis Art School. Since 1966 a member of the Lithuanian Artists' Union. In 1985, Piekurs was awarded the title of Meritorious Artist of Lithuania. In 2005-2006 he was awarded a state scholarship by the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture. He died on 11 November 2006 in Vilnius.
While still a student, Igor Piekurs' work diverged from the traditional Lithuanian school of colourism and followed an autonomous path. His canvases show an expressive use of colour, a lyrical drama, and he paid particular attention to the plasticity of lines. Purifying his art, Piekuras constantly experimented with new materials, and always edited and composed differently, so that his work was characterised by a remarkable search for innovation and did not become monotonous. He was one of the first in Lithuania to apply the aesthetics of photorealism, and was the first to discover the technique of fumage. The themes of his work are quite natural, they are issues of relevance to the painter himself and to humanity. The expression of creativity and spiritual experiences contrasted with the hardships of life: the drastic consequences of the war, life in a totalitarian regime. In his compositions, the author attached great importance to associative representation: his works highlight parallels of time and space, the contexts of art and history. His otherworldly portraits were combined with allegorical imagery, he used the technique of assemblage, and composed the image according to the principle of photographic negative montage. Landscapes are also part of his oeuvre, which testify to his Romantic inclination ("Autumn", 1967). He expanded the boundaries of this genre, adding additional drama by composing the images in a distinctive way: ripping, cutting and deforming natural images. The artist's work is conceptual, highlighting Piekur's constant search for originality.
