Theo van Doesburg, pseudonym of Christian Emil Marie Küpper, was a Dutch painter, decorator, poet, and art theorist who was the leader of the renowned De Stijl movement. Initially pursuing a career in the theater, he turned to painting around 1900. He was influenced by post-impressionism and Fauvist styles. In 1917, van Doesburg was instrumental in forming the De Stijl group, while also founding the art review De Stijl. Van Doesburg turned his attention away from painting 1920, wanting to promote De Stijl outside of the Netherlands. He lectured at State Bauhaus in Weimar, until 1923, and his theories influenced Modernist Architects like Le Corbusier, Gropius and van der Rohe. Meanwhile, he also developed an interest in Dada. He exhibited as a Dadaist in the Netherlands in the same year. He returned to painting in 1924 and died 1931 in Switzerland.
