Russian-born Kazimir Malevich (1879-1935) was Russia's most influential avant-garde artist, a key figure in a succession of art movements in the early twentieth century. His style of severe geometric abstraction, which he called suprematism, was a precursor to the development of constructivism. In the 1930s his work was banned in the Soviet Union after the Stalinist regime labelled abstract art as 'bourgeois'. He then developed a new kind of figuration, still with the aim of communicating his theories about the nature of art. This publication accompanies a unique retrospective of one of the founders of abstract art. The exhibition is unprecedented in its scope, and sheds new light on Malevich's career as a painter, printmaker and teacher. Accessible essays by leading art historians discuss all aspects of his diverse output, offering an overview of his groundbreaking work as well as a more detailed exploration of a number of his drawings, teaching activities and revolutionary ideas. Not only do these texts trace the stylistic evolution of Malevich's oeuvre from his postimpressionist period to suprematism, with Black Square as its most radical outcome; the often forgotten and more dramatic period that followed - with Malevich returning to figurative art - is also featured. The lavish illustrations include paintings, drawings and sculpture, as well as the teaching charts he used to explain his ideas.
