Hilma af Klint: A Pioneer of Abstraction

by David Lomas (Contributor), Pascal Rousseau, Helmut Zander

Just before her death in 1944 at the age of 81, the Swedish painter and mystic Hilma af Klint stipulated that her paintings were not to be publicly exhibited for 20 years. In fact, another 40-plus years were to pass before inklings of her vast oeuvre began to reach public consciousness, with the landmark 1987 exhibition and book The Spiritual in Art . Since then, critics, artists and historians have praised her with ever-increasing awe, and today af Klint’s paintings, watercolors and sketches--numbering over 1,000 in total--have never looked so contemporary, presaging as they do the works of Beatriz Milhazes, Elizabeth Murray and Tal R., and Agnes Martin, Emma Kunz and Arthur Dove before them. For af Klint herself, as a medium for an art she was despairingly unable to comprehend, contemporaneity was her work--much of which was dictated by a spirit guide named Ananda--unfolded in complete ignorance of Kandinsky, Malevich or Mondrian, who likewise practised an abstraction informed by theosophy and occult philosophy. Af Klint’s abstractions preceded those of Kandinsky, who is usually credited with inventing abstract as early as 1906, she was devising large-scale canvases filled with grids, circles, spirals and petal-like forms--sometimes diagrammatic, sometimes biomorphic. She was painting watercolor monochromes in 1916, and making automatic drawings long before the Surrealists. This monumental 280-page monograph, with 200 color plates, is the first full Hilma af Klint overview. A landmark publication, it not only reveals the moving lucidity of her art, but challenges the narrative of abstract art in the twentieth century.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Art History, Womens, Biography, Sweden

280 pages, Paperback

First published May 31, 2013

Reviews

[l · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is gorgeous.

[Karen Terlinck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prachtige catalogus van een net ontdekte kunstenaar naar mijn hart. Blij om deze pionierster (met de klemtoon op de laatste lettergreep) te leren kennen. Meteen ook een andere schijnwerper op de antroposofische stroming waar Hilma AF Klint haar steentje, zeg maar steen, aan bijdroeg. Dankjewel Kleine Tiki, voor deze relevatie!
Ik zou erg graag een eigen exemplaar bemachtigen, is misschien wel een uitstap naar Kopenhagen waardig..

[The Art Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Hilma af Klint spent her life painting in order to understand the meaning of her work and the duality of the earthly and spiritual realm of man, and it might just be true that the art world was not ready to fully grasp the pure creativity and transformative power of her faith in a mind-body-spirit connection until now."
--Gladys-Katherina Hernando on "Hilma af Klint: Mystical Abstraction" from Hatje Cantz.

Read the full review here:
http://theartbookreview.org/2014/02/1...

[Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m so astonished to discover this pioneer of abstract art. Hilma af Klint Predates accepted art history pioneers like Kandinsky and company. Shame on art historians for not bringing her work to light sooner.

[Karena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up at the Louisiana museum north of Copenhagen, Denmark, where I saw af Klint's works. I was thrilled!

[A L e X a N D e R · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's magic inside these covers. Approach with care.

[Dustincecil · Rating 5 out of 5]

wild stuff