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1939


  • In January, Kandinsky finishes Composition X, the final canvas in his main cycle of paintings. In this work, the color black, which Kandinsky had always considered the color of silence, finality, and absolute stillness, and had used infrequently, plays a crucial role — it serves as a kind of cosmic space in which multicolored objects float.
  • In March, taking advantage of Kandinsky's strained circumstances, the French state purchases Composition IX for a mere 5,000 francs (although the artist had initially requested 100,000). This work became the only painting by Kandinsky to enter a French museum during his lifetime.
  • In March, the Kandinskys receive French citizenship.
  • June 1: The Museum of Non-Objective Painting opens in New York on East 54th Street under the directorship of Hilla von Rebay. The foundation of the museum is Solomon R. Guggenheim's private collection, which includes over 150 works by Kandinsky.
  • From June 2 to 17: a solo exhibition at the Paris gallery of Jeanne Bucher titled Kandinsky : aquarelles et gouaches, 1910–1920 et 1937–1939, where works from two entirely different creative periods of the artist were exhibited in a single space.
  • From June 30 to July 15: a major international exhibition Non-Objective Art (Art inobjective) opens at the Galerie Charpentier in Paris, which is also referred to as the first Salon of New Realities (Réalités Nouvelles). Kandinsky exhibited his new Parisian biomorphic canvases. Robert and Sonia Delaunay, Jean Arp, and Piet Mondrian were also represented at the exhibition.
  • September 1: The Second World War begins. The Kandinskys remain in Paris.


Works