Malevich Kazimir Severinovich (February 23, 1879 - May 15, 1935) - avant-garde artist, outstanding figure of the Ukrainian avant-garde, founder of Suprematism, one of the founders of cubo-futurism; teacher, art theorist.

In the paintings of the first period of creativity, he tried to combine the principles of cubism, futurism and expressionism.

He became one of the founders of abstract art. 1915 began a new modernist direction in art - Suprematism. On December 7, 1915, he exhibited for the first time the painting «Black Square on a White Background», which turned into an icon of abstract art.