Kazimir Malevich

Kazimir Malevich was born in 1879 in Kyiv, then part of the Russian Empire, and became a pioneering figure of abstract art. He is best known as the founder of Suprematism, a movement focused on pure geometric forms and the supremacy of artistic feeling over representation. Malevich sought to free art from the depiction of the physical world, reducing it to basic shapes and colors. His work marked a radical break from traditional painting.

Malevich’s most famous work, Black Square, became an icon of modern abstraction. Beyond painting, he wrote extensively about art theory and philosophy. After the Russian Revolution, he taught and held influential positions in art education. In later years, political pressure forced him to return to more figurative imagery. Malevich died in 1935. His ideas had a profound impact on modern art, influencing abstraction, minimalism, and conceptual approaches worldwide.