Hilma af Klint

1862-1944

In art history, few artistic concepts have brought about such fundamental changes as abstraction. The Swedish artist Hilma af Klint contributed significantly to its development.

As early as 1906, Hilma af Klint painted a series of paintings completely without real objects. Initially, she showed these only to selected insiders. What was special about her work was that she translated impulses from spirituality, psychology and natural sciences into an abstract imagery. In her will, she stipulated that her works should not be exhibited until 20 years after her death, as she suspected even then that her contemporaries would not understand them. As a result, her work remained undiscovered for a long time and only found appropriate recognition in the 21st century.

Hilma af Klint's oeuvre includes over 1000 paintings and drawings, as well as 125 notebooks comprising around 26,000 pages.