Kandinsky & Russia @ the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium

A multifaceted genius

Wassily Kandinsky is one of the most influential painters of the 20th century. This artist of Russian origin, who first becomes a naturalised German, then a Frenchman, is an extremely multifaceted genius.

As the founding father of abstract art, he evolves, travelling from Munich to Paris with stops in Moscow and Berlin, from expressionism to surrealism without ever renouncing his Russian roots. In 1911, he paints, the very first abstract work of art in history. With this painting, he mixes up the whole conception of art. He leaves behind an impressive oeuvre: more than 2,500 paintings, gouaches and aquarelles, but also prints, poetry, stage plays, philosophical essays, theoretical writings, …

The Russian artist develops a very colourful art of painting combining myth and fairy tales, impressions and observations, literature and music.

More than 150 paintings for 1.500m²

The paintings and works of art that can now be seen at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium take you back to the Russia of the 1901 – 1922 period: from symbolism to avant-garde.

The exhibition Kandinsky & Russia shows the artistic and intellectual complexity of a true genius who drew inspiration at the same time from the Russian symbolist movement, Greek culture, German metaphysics, orthodox spirituality and esotericism. It is the first time that this collection of 150 works is shown in Belgium.