Kazimir Malevich

Born in 1879 near Kiev, Ukraine, to Polish parents. He grew up in a multicultural environment, speaking Polish at home while also learning Russian and Ukrainian.¹

In his youth, he taught himself to paint in a simple peasant style in rural villages, which laid the foundation for his later unique sense of color and form.¹

Through private collections like Shchukin's, he was exposed to Western modern art by Gauguin and Picasso, assimilating styles like Impressionism and Cubism early in his career.¹

In his autobiography, he claimed to have participated in the 1905 Battle of the Barricades in Moscow, linking his art to the era's turbulent politics.¹

His 1915 work 'Black Square' was a radical non-representational painting that he described as an uncrossable line between old and new art.¹

He founded Suprematism, aiming to move away from natural forms to access 'the supremacy of pure feeling' and spirituality, becoming a pioneer of abstract art.¹

After the Russian Revolution, he taught in Vitebsk with Chagall starting in 1918 and founded the UNOVIS collective in 1919 to spread his artistic theories.¹

In 1927, he made his only trip outside Russia to Warsaw and Berlin for solo exhibitions, spreading his reputation westward before being forced to return.¹

In the 1930s, Stalin's imposition of Socialist Realism suppressed abstract art, forcing Malevich to return to a representational style under state pressure.¹

Diagnosed with cancer in 1933, he was denied permission to seek treatment abroad. He continued to paint and exhibit until his death in 1935 at age 56.¹