An admirer of van Gogh, from whom he derived the name 'Vincent', Lourié was partly self-taught, but also studied piano with Barinova and composition with Glazunov at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, graduating in 1913.
He studied music at the Cologne University of Music, Germany, with Igor Ozim; at the P.I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory, in Moscow, with Galina Barinova; and at the University of Vienna, Austria, with the famous Czech violinist, Josef Suk; completing his studies with Josef Klima, at the University of Zagreb, Croatia, where he received his post graduate degree.