''Suprematist Composition (blue rectangle over the red beam)'' is a painting by Kazimir Malevich, Russian painter of

geometric abstraction Geometric abstraction is a form of abstract art based on the use of geometric forms sometimes, though not always, placed in non-illusionistic space and combined into non-objective (non-representational) compositions. Although the genre was popu ...

. The painting was created in 1916 and stayed with the artist until June 1927. Malevich exhibited his work in the Grosse Berliner Kunstausstellung in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

, but soon left for the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. The painting came into the possession German architect

Hugo Häring Hugo Häring (11 May 1882 – 17 May 1958) was a German architect and architectural writer best known for his writings on "organic architecture", and as a figure in architectural debates about functionalism in the 1920s and 1930s, though he had a ...

, who sold it to the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, where it remained for the next 50 years. It was shown at various expositions, mostly in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

. After an extended legal battle over the painting's ownership, which endured for 17 years, the painting was returned to heirs of the artist. A few months later, in November 2008, the artist's heirs sold it at a Sotheby's auction for $60 million to the Nahmad family. In 2018 it was sold at a Christie's auction for $85.8 million with fees to art dealer Brett Gorvy. It was the highest price paid for a work in the history of Russian art.

Notes and references

1916 paintings Abstract art Modern paintings Paintings by Kazimir Malevich {{Art-stub

See also

Notes and references