Ivan Puni
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Ivan Puni or Puny (Jean Pougny) (1894 - 1956) was a Russian avant-garde artist.
Born in Kuokkala, Finland to a family of Italian origins[1]; in 1909-1910 he studied in various workshops, including the Académie Julian in Paris. He is the grandson of the famous Italian composer of ballet music Cesare Pugni (1802?-1870).
In 1915 Puni together with the group of avant-garde artists (Aleksandra Ekster, Liubov Popova, Ivan Kliun, Ksenia Boguslavskaya, Olga Rozanova, Nadezhda Udaltsova, Nina Genke and others) joined Supremus a group led by the founder of Suprematism, Kazimir Malevich.
In 1915-1916 Puni, together with other suprematist artists, worked at Verbovka Village Folk Centre.
In 1919 he taught at the Vitebsk Art School under Marc Chagall.
He was married to Ksenia Boguslavskaya.
Puni died in Paris in 1956.
