"Suprematist Composition" by Kazimir Malevich, 
 31 5/8 inches square, oil on canvas, 1919-20

The Russian Suprematists and Constructivists were an astounding group of abstract artists whose work flourished during the period right after World War I and whose works rarely appear on the market. The highlight of the Phillips auction is Lot 31, "Suprematist Composition," by Kazimir Malevich, an oil on canvas, 31 5/8 inches square, shown above, which shows a slanted red and black cross against a white background and was painted circa 1919-20.

In 1927, the artist was granted an exit visa from Russia to exhibit at the Grosse Berliner Kunstaustellung. He took with him many of his best works, but a few months later was summoned back to Russia and left the art still on display, including this work, for safekeeping in Germany. Despite repeated requests, Malevich was not allowed to leave the Soviet Union again.

In 1935, Alfred Barr, then director of the Museum of Modem Art, was traveling in Europe gathering works for a "Cubism and Abstract Art" exhibition planned for the next year and was overwhelmed to discover the cache of Malevich works that were stored at the Hanover Landesmuseum on display behind curtains as the museum's curator, Alexander Dorner, was concerned about Nazi campaigns against modern art. Barr arranged for a group of 21 paintings, gouaches, drawings and charts by Malevich to be included in his exhibition and in MOMA's collection.

In June, 1999, Malevich's 31 descendants reached an agreement with MOMA in which several works, including this one, were returned to the painter's heirs - grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

In a Phillips press release about the painting, a spokesman for the heirs was quoted as telling the auction house that the family "believes that it is important for the international community art lovers and museum curators to have their first chance to compete for a major work by Kazimir Malevich offered on the free market in this way." "This first opportunity to purchase a major work by the legendary founder of the abstract art movement is a truly justified triumph, long in coming, both for our family and for Malevich himself," the spokesman continued. Christopher Thomason, the CEO of Phillips, was quoted in the same press releases as declaring that the work is the highlight of the ... sale....[that] will add to our reputation as a significant force in the international art market."

The painting has long hung at MOMA and this is the first offering of a Suprematist work by Malevich at auction. "Suprematism" was a term coined by Malevich in 1915 to describe his new art theories and he used the term to describe the supremacy of his new art that was purely aesthetic in form, free from any political or social meaning. "From the very beginning, Malevich saw Suprematism as the crowning achievement of the Western modern movement - the successor to Cubism and Futurism....he is recognized as the forerunner of Minimalism and geometric abstraction generally," according to a Phillips press release.

The famous and bold painting has an "estimate on request" and is likely to fetch more than $10 million.