POUGNY Ivan (Jean) Albertovich

February 20, 1894 (Kuokkala) — November 26, 1956 (Paris)

Painter, graphic artist, sculptor, scene-designer

Pougny was born to a family of famous violoncellist. His grandfather, Cesare Pougny (1802–1870) was a famous Italian composer of ballet music, who headed Paris Opera, and later worked in St. Petersburg for the Imperial Theatres. Pougny was educated in his family. In 1910 he went to Italy to treat tuberculosis. Then Pougny moved to Paris, where he entered the Academy of R. Julian. But he also studied in other workshops.

In 1912 Pougny returned to St. Petersburg. Shortly after, he met brothers Burliuk, K. Malevich, V. V. Mayakovsky, V. V. Khlebnikov, M. V. Matyushin and other representatives of the Russian avant-garde. He joined the Union of Youth. In 1913–1914 he visited Paris one more time. In 1913 he married the artist Ksenia Boguslavskaya, who he met in Paris. Pougny exposed his works at the Salon of Independents.

In 1914 Pougny created a sketch of the cover of the futuristic anthology Rykayushchiy Parnas (“Roaring Parnassus”), published on the money of his wife. In 1912–1917 he took part in the exhibitions of the Union of Russian Youth (1912–1913, 1913–1914), the group Bubnovy Valet (“Jack of Diamonds”, 1917); he also was one of the organizers of the exhibitions Tramway V и 0.10. In 1915, on the threshold of the exhibition 0.10, Pougny together with Boguslavskaya, Malevich and I. V. Clyun created a leaflet setting out his artistic credo: “The painting is the new concept of abstract real elements devoid of sense.” In January of 1916 Pougny and Malevich gave a lecture Cubism–Futurism–Suprematism at the Tenishev School.

In 1917 Pougny became one of the founders of the union Freedom to the Art. Since 1918 he was a professor at the State Art Workshops in Petrograd. In 1919 Pougny was invited by Marc Chagall to teach at Vitebsk Art School. He together with Boguslavskaya was engaged in agitational decoration of Petrograd streets for the first October anniversary. Pougny worked at the State Porcelain Factory and performed the project of the seal of the Soviet of the People’s Commissars (Sovnarkom). In 1918–1929 he participated in many Soviet exhibitions, including the exhibition Russian Landscape in Petrograd (1918) and the exhibition of latest trends of art in Leningrad (1927).

In late 1919 Pougny went to Finland, in 1920 he moved to Berlin. He was engaged in book design. Pougny created non-figurative paintings. He joined the November group which united the avant-garde artists of different trends. In 1921 Pougny participated in exhibitions of this group in Berlin and Düsseldorf, and in 1922 he exposed his works in Prague. In 1921 and in 1923 his personal exhibitions were held at the gallery Der Sturm (“Storm”). In 1923 he published book Modern Painting in Berlin, where he subjected the non-figurative art to criticism. Pougny resigned suprematism and gave preference to V. V. Kandinsky.