UNOVIS

UNOVIS was an important group of Russian artists. It was taken over by Kazimir Malevich at the Vitebsk Art School in 1919. It started of with a group of students and was called MOLPOSNOVIS. The group developed new idea about art. Once Malevich became the leader they changed their name to UNOVIS. The group only lasted until 1926.
UNOVIS stood for "Utverditeli Novovo Iskusstva" which is Russian. In English it meant "affirmers of the new art".Avant-garde Film, eds.  Alexander Graf; Dietrich Scheunemann (Amsterdam; New York: Rodopi, 2007), p. 9

Foundation and growth
The group had many changes. First known as MOLPOSNOVIS, after the school's teachers joined and it became POSNOVIS. R. Bruce Elder, Harmony and Dissent: Film and Avant-garde Art Movements in the Early Twentieth Century (Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2008), p. 189 In 1920, Malevich was invited them to teach at the school in 1919 by Marc Chagall. In February of the same year Malevich became leader.

 References 

Category:Russian artists