Primordial Chaos, No. 16
1906 · Oil on canvas · 53 × 37 cm
Altarpiece, No. 1, Group X
1915 · Oil and metal leaf on canvas · 238 × 180 cm
The Swan, No. 17
1915 · Oil on canvas · 151 × 115 cm
Group IV, The Ten Largest, No. 3, Youth
1907 · Tempera on paper mounted on canvas · 315 × 235 cm
The Ten Largest, No. 7, Adulthood
1907 · Tempera on paper mounted on canvas · 315 × 235 cm
Hilma af Klint (1862–1944) was a Swedish artist who created abstract paintings as early as 1906, years before Kandinsky, Mondrian, or Malevich. She produced over 1,200 works exploring spirituality, science, and the invisible forces of nature. Her work was hidden for decades and only gained international recognition in the 21st century.
Her most celebrated works include The Ten Largest (1907), a monumental series of ten paintings up to 3 meters tall; The Swan series (1914–1915); and the Paintings for the Temple cycle (1906–1915), comprising 193 works. The Ten Largest are considered among the first abstract paintings in Western art history.
Af Klint stipulated in her will that her abstract works should not be shown publicly until at least 20 years after her death, believing the world was not ready to understand them. The works were finally exhibited in 1986, and her major breakthrough came with a 2018 Guggenheim retrospective that became the museum's most visited exhibition ever.
Af Klint's abstract paintings from 1906 predate those of Kandinsky (1911), Mondrian, and Malevich, making her arguably the first abstract artist in Western art. However, because her work was kept secret during her lifetime, she did not influence the development of abstract art as a movement.
Af Klint was deeply influenced by spiritualism, theosophy, and the natural sciences. She was a member of a group called The Five, who conducted séances and claimed to receive messages from spiritual guides. Her art explored dualities — male/female, material/spiritual, visible/invisible — through bold colors and organic forms.
This page features public domain works by Hilma af Klint and is not managed by the artist.
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