Kazimir Severinovich Malevich^{[nb 1]} (23 February [O.S. 11 February] 1879^[1] – 15 May 1935) was a Russian avant-garde^{[nb 2]} artist and art theorist, whose pioneering work and writing influenced the development of abstract art in the 20th century.^[2][3][4][5] He was born in Kiev, modern-day Ukraine, to an ethnic Polish family. His concept of Suprematism sought to develop a form of expression that moved as far as possible from the world of natural forms (objectivity) and subject matter in order to access "the supremacy of pure feeling"^[6] and spirituality.^[7][8] Active primarily in Russia, Malevich was a founder of the artists collective UNOVIS and his work has been variously associated with the Russian avant-garde and the Ukrainian avant-garde, and he was a central figure in the history of modern art in Central and Eastern Europe more broadly.^[9][10]