Creator story
Surprising fact
At its 1915 debut Malevich hung the Black Square high in a corner — the place traditionally reserved in Russian homes for a holy icon.
Source: Wikipedia / WikimediaAvant-Garde
Kazimir Malevich
Kazimir Malevich (1879–1935) founded Suprematism, pushing painting to pure geometric abstraction. His Black Square is one of the most radical and debated works in the history of art.
Malevich declared painting free of objects entirely; his Black Square became the point zero of modern art.
- Founded Suprematism, art of pure geometric form and feeling.
- His Black Square shocked 1915 Russia as the zero of form.
- His ideas shaped abstraction, design and architecture worldwide.
Key works
Three entry points into the world of Kazimir Malevich
These works make it easiest to see how the artist changed form, content, and the very way art could exist in culture.
1915
Black Square (1915)
Black Square (1915) shows how Kazimir Malevich turns the language of avant-garde into a coherent painted image.
1916
Suprematist Composition
Suprematist Composition (blue rectangle over the red beam) is a 1916 painting by Kazimir Malevich, Russian painter of geometric abstraction.
1918
Suprematist Composition: White on White
Suprematist Composition: White on White shows how Kazimir Malevich turns the language of avant-garde into a coherent painted image.