World Receivers: Georgiana Houghton - Hilma af Klint - Emma Kunz

by Karin Althaus (Editor), Matthias Mühling (Editor), Sebastian Schneider (Editor)

Abstract paintings were being produced even before Kandinsky. Completely independently from each other, Georgiana Houghton (1814 - 1884) in England, Hilma af Klint (1862 - 1944) in Sweden and Emma Kunz (1892 - 1963) in Switzerland each developed an individual abstract pictorial language. What they had in common was a desire to make visible the laws of nature, the intellect and the supernatural. Their works are being presented side by side for the first time in an exhibition.

The three women artists all found their artistic language within the context of the spiritual movements of their times: Houghton in spiritism, af Klint in theosophy and Kunz in naturopathy. Their artworks bear witness to a "mediumistic" praxis: Houghton and af Klint were inspired by higher beings to paint, while Kunz developed her drawings with the help of a pendulum.

Genres: Art, Biography, Spirituality

288 pages, Hardcover

Published July 20, 2021

Reviews

[Syb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous art from three overlooked women, finally receiving their spotlight. All three artists have found profound art expressions, all driven by their unique spiritual/visionary experiences. Amazing at what time they were active - expressionistic art at a time before the audience would be able to receive it.
Supported with biographies, this art book is a gem.
Another highlight are the two video artists, that are received in the book.
I saw this exhibit in Munich and needed to have this book. Very inspiring!

[jenwalk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was delighted to read about Hilma af Klint, Emma Kunz and Georgina Houghton. I liked reading about the artists' lives and drive into seeking to experience and share art as a spiritual expression. World Receivers really made me want to read more books devoted to these individual artists.
I felt the tether between the three women prominently featured in this book and the artists featured towards the end of the book wasn't as clearly connected as it might have been; it felt a bit disjointed.

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly bought this just for Hilma af Klint but was pleasantly surprised by the works of the other painters as well. However, she is still the brightest gem in this book. I'm usually not a fan of abstract or geonetric art but her works make me FEEL in a very visceral way.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

The museum catalogue for an exhibition held in 2018 and 2019 at Lenbachhaus in Munich. Three amazing and little-known women artists, and three male filmmakers.

https://www.lenbachhaus.de/en/visit/e...

[Diana Marie Denza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a treasure! I have little background in art, but I recently read a book about Hilma af Klint and decided to add World Receivers to my collection. The book explores three often-overlooked women in art: Georgiana Houghton, Hilma af Klint, and Emma Kunz. There are fairly short but very informative biographies for each of the women, along with many of their works. The three fit together so well -- each of them were inspired by similar spiritual and religious trends. Houghton and af Klint each lost a sibling at relatively young ages, which inspired them to search for a spiritual realm. Kunz interestingly grew up in a poor household without the opportunities that the former two had for professional training.

Books on Houghton and Kunz's art are hard to come by and can cost hundreds of dollars, as I learned when I did an internet search. World Receivers brings you their fascinating histories and works for a fraction of the cost.

[Serena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book sadly seems out of stock everywhere; the pdf version I managed to obtain unfortunately reproduced the artwork in poor quality, but it still provided an interesting introduction to these artists. I knew af Klint, but I was surprised by the works of Houghton and Kunz - some were truly mesmerizing in their intricacy.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This exhibition book had a lot of biographical information about the main three painters as well as three film makers whose work shared similarities. I was less interested in the film makers.

The information and analysis was helpful for understanding the context of the women's art, but I wish they went more into the specific processes they used.

[Cameron Toney · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artists in this book are linked together by their belief in spiritualism, and how they used their art to channel that belief.
This yields some very beautiful works, and the stories of the artists are really interested!

[Isabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit to esoteric for my taste.