Ivan Vasilievich Kliun, or Klyun, born Klyunkov (Russian: Иван Васильевич Клюн; 1 September 1873, in Bolshiye Gorky, Petushinsky District – 13 December 1943, in Moscow) was a Russian Avant-Garde painter, sculptor and art theorist, associated with the Suprematist movement.
His father was a carpenter. In 1881, seeking to improve their economic condition, the family moved to Kyiv. In 1890, they moved again, to Russian Poland. He received his initial artistic education at the Society for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts [pl]inWarsaw, in the 1890s, while working as an accountant. In 1898, he relocated to Moscow, where he frequented the studios of Fyodor Rerberg [ru] and Ilya Mashkov.
His most important contact, however, came in 1907 when he met Kazimir Malevich and was introduced to the Russian Avant-Garde. This influenced him profoundly, although he joined the Moscow Salon [ru] when it was created in 1910 and remained a member until 1916.
He originally worked in the Symboloist style but, in 1913, due to the influence of Malevich, he began exhibiting with a group from St. Petersburg known as the "Soyuz Molodyozhi" (Union of Youth). At this time, he became fond of Cubo-Futurism, began producing sculpture (under the influence of Vladimir Tatlin and later exhibited with several other Avant-Garde groups.
In 1915, he provided lithographs and a short chapter for the book, Тайные пороки академиков (The Secret Vices of Academicians) by the poet Aleksei Kruchyonykh. The book was a harsh criticism of Symbolism and decadence in general. That same year he became a follower of Malevich's Suprematism and, the following year, joined his group known as Supremus. While there, he helped prepare a manifesto and a journal that was never published. He also collaborated with the Verbovka Village Folk Centre; working with peasant artisans.
From 1918 to 1921, he was a professor at Vkhutemas, the state art and technical school. From 1920, he was a member of Inkhuk (the Institute of Artistic Culture) and, after 1921, a Corresponding Member of GAHN (State Academy of Art Sciences [ru]).
Until the mid-1920s, his works were largely geometric forms. In the late 1920s, he developed an interest in modern Western European art, especially the French; copying works by Picasso and Braque. He was especially attracted to the works of Amédée Ozenfant. In the early 1930s, he created numerous still-lifes in the Purist style. From the mid-1930s on he, and most Soviet artists, were compelled to paint works of Social Realism. In response, he created realistic still lifes and landscapes and gave them away to friends and family
Irina Atykovna Azizyan "K.Malevich and I. Klyun: from futurism to suprematism and objectless art", in 0.10, scientific-analytical newsletter of the KSMalevich Foundation. 2001. No.2.
Fota, Olga; Kokkori, Maria. Colour and Light: A Technical Examination of selected Paintings by Ivan Kliun c. 1910-1925 // Light and Colour in the Russian Avant-Garde; The Costakis Collection / Licht und Farbe in der Russischen Avantgarde: Die Sammlung Costakis. Dumont and Martin Gropius Bau Berlin, 2004. P. 480–482.
Khardzhiev, N. I. Polemics in verse (K. Malevich against A. Kruchenykh and I. Kliun) // Malevich, K. S. Poetry / Comp., entry. art., publ., text, comments and notes by A. S. Shatskikh. Moscow: Epifania, 2000 (In Russian)
Ivan Kliun. Transcendental landscapes. Flying sculptures. Light spheres. Catalogue of exhibition at MOMus – Museum of Modern Art – Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki, 2021.
I. V. Kliun in the Tretyakov Gallery: To the 125th anniversary of his birth. Moscow: RA, 1999 (In Russian)
I. V. Klyun. My path in art: Memoirs, articles, diaries / Comp., author. intro. art. and comment. A. D. Sarabianov. Moscow: RA, 1999 (In Russian)
Kliunkova-Soloveichik, Svetlana (1994). Ohotin, Nicholas A. (ed.). Ivan Vasilievich Kliun. New York, NY: IVK Art. ISBN0-9638440-0-8.
Sarabianov, A. D. Kazimir Malevich. Ivan Kliun. Relationship // Russian Art, 2019, No. 3, pp. 90–97 (In Russian)
Sarabianov, A. D. Ivan Vasilyevich Kliun // Encyclopedia of the Russian avant-garde: Fine arts. Architecture / Compiled by V. I. Rakitin, A. D. Sarabianov; scientific editor A. D. Sarabianov. Moscow: RA, Global Expert & Service Team, 2013, T. 1, pp. 418–420 (In Russian). URL: https://rusavangard.ru/online/biographies/klyun-ivan-vasilevich/
Schindler, Viktoria. Color Theories from Western Europe and the United States in the Writings of Ivan Kliun // Experiment: A Journal of Russian Culture, ed. John Bowlt, Volume 23, 2017. P. 253–266.
Schindler, Viktoria. Farbe, Form, Linie, Fläche, Faktur. Im Spannungsfeld von Kunst und Wissenschaft: Ivan Kljuns und Vasilij Kandinskijs theoretische Ausführungen zu den gestalterischen Elementen der Kunst. Freie Universität Berlin, 2018.
Timina, Maria. “Light-Color” Principle in the Works of Ivan Kliun // Vestnik of the Moscow State University. Series 8: History. 2021, No 4, pp. 195–212 (In Russian)
Timina, Maria. Museum of Painterly Culture and Ivan Kliun's work in the 1920s // Museum of Painterly Culture. Research and discoveries: proceedings of an international academic conference / scientific ed. by L.R. Pchelkina. Moscow, State Tretyakov Gallery, 2023, pp. 82–97 (In Russian) URL: https://www.tretyakovgallery.ru/upload/medialibrary/2b0/hk75ejgbjh0r9i9s1axyhssen78d2nxs.pdf
