Hilma AF Klint: The Secret Paintings

Hidden from view for decades, the work of Hilma af Klint (1862-1944) has captured the imagination of contemporary audiences. She is now widely regarded as a pioneer of twentieth-century abstract art. Her paintings are monumental in scale, with radiant color combinations, enigmatic symbols, and otherworldly shapes. In an era of limited creative freedom for women, her secret paintings were an outlet for her prodigious intelligence, spiritual quest, and groundbreaking artistic vision.

Hilma af Klint: The Secret Paintings includes over 125 artworks, ranging from enormous canvasses to small watercolors; pages from her detailed notebooks; and a selection of photographs and other images. Five essays and an illustrated chronology reveal new research on af Klint, her practice, and her place in art history.

Sue Cramer is an independent curator and writer. Nicholas Chambers is senior curator of modern and contemporary international art at the Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney. Jennifer Higgie is author of The Mirror & the Palette: Rebellion, Revolution and Resilience: 500 Years of Women’s Self-Portraits and other works. Aaron Lister is senior curator at City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi in Aotearoa New Zealand. Julia Voss is author of Hilma af Klint: Die Menschheit in Erstaunen versetzen, a biography of af Klint.