born 4 décembre 1866 Moscou, Russie205 known booksnewest first
**Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky** was a Russian painter and art theorist active in Germany during the late [Belle Époque](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_%C3%89poque "Belle Époque") and [Interwar eras](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interwar_era "Interwar era"). Kandinsky is generally credited as one of the pioneers of [abstraction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstract_art "Abstract art") in [Western art](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_art "Western art"). Born in Moscow, he began painting studies (life-drawing, sketching and anatomy) at the age of 30.
