This highly readable introduction to the abstract artist Wassily Kandinsky reveals why he remains one of the most influential and imitated artists. This book explores all facets of Kandinsky s life and career, from his radical work as the founder of the Blue Rider group and his escape from Weimar Germany to Paris, to his stormy love affair with the painter Gabriele MAnter and his many friendships with leading artists of his generation. Color reproductions of Kandinsky's works are presented alongside photographs that document the tumultuous world he inhabited. Tracing the arc of Kandinsky s artistic development from his early landscapes and experiments with impressionism to his emergence as a pioneer in the field of abstract expressionism this beautifully designed volume celebrates Kandinsky s work through the lens of his extraordinary life."