Arnold Lakhovsky embarked on his artistic journey by attending the Odessa Art School and studying under Kyriak Kostandi and Gennadiy Ladyzhensky. He further honed his skills at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, under the guidance of Maro. Afterward, Lakhovsky joined the workshop of Ilya Repin at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg in 1904. He later spent three months teaching at the Bezalel Art School in Jerusalem before returning to Russia.

Throughout his career, Lakhovsky lived and worked in St. Petersburg and its surroundings, including the town of Pskov. He became involved with artistic societies such as the Kouindgi Society (1915) and The Wanderers Society (1916), while also being a founding member of the Jewish Arts Encouragement Society. In 1925, he received an invitation from the Luxembourg Museum in Paris, and he subsequently became a board member of the artists' section of the Russian Artists Union in France.

In 1933, Lakhovsky relocated to New York, where he primarily focused on creating commissioned portraits. Additionally, he taught at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston alongside Boris Grigoriev. Sadly, Lakhovsky passed away in 1937, due to leukemia, followed by pneumonia. He left behind a legacy of artistic achievement and contributions.