# Ivan Kliun artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/ivan-kliun/
Profile generated: 2026-05-24T19:49:32.684Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1873-09-01
- Death date: 1943-12-13
- Nationality: Russian
- Movements: Suprematism, Russian Avant-Garde, Cubo-Futurism
- Common media: oil painting, sculpture, watercolor, gouache, drawing

## About Ivan Kliun

Ivan Vasilievich Kliun (born Klyunkov) was a Russian painter, sculptor, draftsman, and art theorist whose career spanned the revolutionary decades of early twentieth-century Russian modernism. Born in 1873 in the Vladimir region (some sources propose Kiev as an alternative birthplace), Kliun became closely associated with the Suprematist movement launched by Kazimir Malevich around 1915. He worked across a broad range of media—oil painting, watercolor, gouache, sculpture, and graphic works—while also contributing theoretical writings on abstract art. Active as an academy lecturer, Kliun helped shape a generation of artists during a period of intense creative experimentation. His output moved through several phases of Russian modernism, from figurative and Cubo-Futurist beginnings to the pure geometric abstraction that defines his best-known Suprematist compositions. He died in Moscow in 1943. Works by Kliun are held in major museum collections including the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

## Common works and media

Kliun worked in oil on canvas, watercolor, gouache, graphite, and ink on paper. His subject matter ranged from pure geometric Suprematist compositions to figurative landscapes and portraits from earlier phases of his career. Sculptural works are also part of his output. Works on paper—including drawings and gouaches—appear frequently at auction, alongside oils from both his abstract and representational periods. The Appraisily catalog includes approximately 259 recorded lots attributed to this artist.

## Market and appraisal context

Ivan Kliun's paintings, works on paper, and sculptures appear at auction with some regularity, particularly in Russian art sales at major international houses. Provenance is a critical factor: works with documented exhibition history or inclusion in published catalogues tend to achieve stronger results. The artist's direct connection to the Suprematist circle and his theoretical contributions add contextual weight. Medium, date, condition, and secure attribution all influence valuation. Collectors should be aware that attribution questions are common with Russian avant-garde works from this period, making expert authentication and full provenance documentation especially important before purchase or appraisal.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. Identity data for Ivan Kliun is grounded in Getty ULAN, VIAF, RKD, and Wikidata authority files.

## Sources

- RKD — Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/44859
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1988310
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500001016
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/39667219/
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Kliun
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n87113968
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/13470