Contents
Hilma af Klint
Creating large abstract paintings from 1906, before many of modernism's best-known abstract pioneers.
Paintings for the Temple · The Ten Largest
- Born
- 26 October 1862
- Birthplace
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Died
- 21 October 1944
More people
Hilma af Klint
Hilma af Klint was a Swedish artist whose spiritual interests led to an extensive body of abstract painting. Most of this work remained little known until long after her death.
Early life
Nature and drawing
Developed interests in botany and mathematics alongside art.
Academy training
Studied at Stockholm’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts and earned a living through conventional portraits and landscapes.
Career
- 1896
The Five
Joined a group of women exploring spiritual ideas and automatic drawing.
- 1906
A new direction
Began the large project she called Paintings for the Temple.
- 1907–1915
An abstract language
Developed sequences of geometric and organic forms to express spiritual ideas.
- 1920s onwards
Continued investigation
Pursued further painting and notebooks influenced by anthroposophy.
Selected work
Paintings for the Temple
A cycle of 193 works exploring spiritual development.
The Ten Largest
Large paintings move through stages of human life.
The Swan
A series transforms paired birds into increasingly abstract forms.
Altarpieces
Geometric compositions bring the Temple cycle to a conclusion.
Beyond the studio
Spiritual convictions
Believed that spiritual guidance informed her work; these beliefs were integral to her practice.
Delayed recognition
Requested that her abstract work remain unseen for twenty years after her death; major recognition came much later.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Museum or specialist research ↗Photo: According to Moderna Museet the photographer is unknown. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
