Liubov Sergeevna Popova (1889-1924) was one of the preeminent artists of the Russian and Soviet avant-garde during the early 20th century.

Liubov Popova was born just outside of Moscow, near the village of Ivanovskoe, on April 24, 1889. Her family's wealth--her father was a textile merchant--and philanthropic interests ensured a thorough education in the arts and humanities, which led her, after completing gymnasium in 1906, to initially pursue a degree in literature.

Although she received instruction in painting and drawing throughout her childhood, Popova's first serious encounter with art dates from 1907-1908, when she entered the Moscow studios of Stanislov Zhukovski and Konstatin Yuon. Both artists favored a landscape tradition influenced by Impressionism, a style that in Popova's hands was rapidly modified to suit her interests in the works of Cézanne, van Gogh, and Gauguin, as well as the Neoprimitivism of Natalia Goncharova. By the end of 1908 her painting...