About the artist

The Kliunkov family lived in Ukraine until 1892, where Ivan Vasilievich Kliun (Kliunkov) (Bolshiye Gorki, Porkoskii region, Vladimir province, September 1st, 1873- Moscow, December 13th, 1943) worked as a book-keeper at a sugar factory in Voronezh Province.

During the years 1892-1893 he lived in Poland. In 1898 he returned to Moscow and started attending the School of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts. Working as a bookkeeper he attended lessons at various studios, such as Fiodor Rerberg’s, where he met Malevich (1906). He participated in several exhibitions in Moscow, St.Petersburg, Orel and Kursk.

From 1914 to 1916 he created a series of reliefs and spatial sculptures. In 1915 he followed Malevich’s Suprematism.

In 1915-1916 he participated in the major avant-garde exhibitions, including First Futurist Exhibition of Paintings: Tramway V and The Last Futurist Exhibition of Pictures: 0.10 in Petrograd as well as in The Store and in the exhibition of the group “Jack of Diamonds”, both in Moscow.

From 1918 onwards he was the director of the Central Exhibition Bureau of the People’s Commissariat for Enlightenment (IZO-NARKOMPROS).

From 1918 to 1921 he taught painting at the Free State Art Studios (SVOMAS) and at the Higher State Art-Technical Studios (VKHUTEMAS). In 1920-1921 he joined the Institute of Artistic Culture (INKHUK).

In 1919 he participated in the Fifth State Exhibition: From Impressionism to Non-objective Art and in the Tenth State Exhibition: Non-objective Creation and Suprematism in Moscow.

During the 1920s and 1930s he created a series of still life paintings based on geometric forms and color relationships.

In 1922 he participated in the First Russian Art Exhibition at the “Galerie van Diemen” in Berlin. In 1923-1930 he made a series of post-futurist works and in 1925 he turned to Pourism.

In 1936 he painted a monumental panel, entitled Life in the sea, for the vestibule of the All-Soviet Research Institute of Fishery and Oceanography.