Hilma af Klint

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1862 — 1944

Suède

Visual ArtsArtiste19th CenturyPioneer of abstract art, before Kandinsky

Swedish painter, theosophist, and pioneer of abstract art (1862–1944)

Émotions disponibles (6)

Neutre

par défaut

Inspirée

Pensive

Surprise

Triste

Fière

Key Facts

Works & Achievements

The Paintings for the Temple (Målningar för templet) (1906–1915)

A series of 193 paintings on canvas, organized into thematic subgroups (The Ten Largest, The Swans, The Evolution…), which constitutes af Klint's major work and one of the earliest expressions of abstract art in the history of world art.

The Ten Largest (De tio största) (1907)

A sub-series of ten monumental canvases (some 3.28 m tall) representing the stages of human life — childhood, youth, adulthood, old age — through organic forms and intense symbolic colors.

The Swans (Svanarna) (1914–1915)

A series of paintings exploring duality and the union of opposites (masculine/feminine, light/shadow) through fluid biomorphic forms, often in black and white, of a strikingly modern formal language.

The Tree of Knowledge (Kunskapsträdet) (1913–1915)

A series of small-format works symbolically exploring spiritual growth and the structure of life, blending plant-like forms and sacred geometry in compositions of great delicacy.

The Atom Series (Atomserien) (1917)

Small abstract paintings inspired by discoveries in early atomic physics, reflecting af Klint's interest in contemporary science, which she wove together with her spiritual intuitions.

SUW/UW (The Dove and the Serpent) (1906–1907)

Among the earliest fully abstract paintings in the series, representing the opposing and complementary principles of existence through spiral forms and contrasting colors, with no reference to the visible world.

Anecdotes

Hilma af Klint painted her monumental series 'The Paintings for the Temple' between 1906 and 1915, several years before Kandinsky, Mondrian, or Malevich were recognized as the fathers of abstract art. She was convinced that her works were guided by superior spirits she called the 'Masters', and she almost never showed them publicly during her lifetime.

Hilma af Klint was part of a secret group of five women artists and mediums called 'De Fem' (The Five), who gathered in Stockholm for spiritualist séances. It was during one of these séances, in 1906, that she reportedly received the mission to paint a series of large canvases symbolizing the evolution of humanity.

In her will, Hilma af Klint stipulated that her approximately 1,200 works and 150 notebooks should not be shown to the public until twenty years after her death, as she feared the world was not yet 'ready' to understand them. It was only from the 1980s onward that her works began to be truly exhibited.

Hilma af Klint sized her large canvases according to the space she envisioned for an ideal temple. Some paintings from the series 'The Swans' or 'The Ten Largest' reach more than three meters in height. She often worked alone in her studio, in silence, as if in a meditative trance.

Although Swedish, Hilma af Klint stayed several times on the island of Munsö on Lake Mälaren, where she painted and meditated. Toward the end of her life, she joined the anthroposophical community founded by Rudolf Steiner, whose spiritual ideas on the evolution of humanity profoundly influenced her work.

Primary Sources

Hilma af Klint's Notebooks (Anteckningsböcker) (1906–1920)

The Masters asked me to paint what cannot be seen, what lies beyond the veil of the visible world. I must be the channel, not the author.

Letter from Hilma af Klint to her nephew Erik af Klint (1941)

These paintings belong to a future world. I do not seek glory during my lifetime; what matters is that the work exists and is passed on.

Will of Hilma af Klint (1944)

I bequeath all my works, notebooks and documents to the Hilma af Klint Foundation. These paintings shall not be exhibited to the public until twenty years after my death.

Catalogue of the exhibition 'Abstrakt Pioneer' (Moderna Museet, Stockholm) (1986)

Hilma af Klint developed an entirely autonomous visual vocabulary, rooted in theosophy and spiritualism, well before the major male figures of European abstraction.

Key Places

Stockholm, Royal Academy of Fine Arts

This is where af Klint received her classical artistic training between 1882 and 1888, mastering portraiture and naturalistic drawing before venturing into abstraction.

Hilma af Klint's Studio, Stockholm (Hamngatan)

Her personal studio in Stockholm was the creative space for virtually all of her abstract works. It was here that she painted the immense canvases of the 'Paintings for the Temple', often in a state of meditative concentration.

Munsö Island, Lake Mälaren, Sweden

Hilma af Klint owned a retreat house on this tranquil island west of Stockholm, where she found renewal, meditated, and pursued her spiritual and pictorial research away from the bustle of the city.

Dornach, Switzerland (Goetheanum)

World headquarters of the Anthroposophical Society founded by Rudolf Steiner, which Hilma af Klint visited. The Goetheanum, with its organic forms and spiritual conception of architecture, resonated with her own vision of a 'temple' for her paintings.

Moderna Museet, Stockholm

This museum hosted the first major posthumous retrospective of the artist in 1986, marking the beginning of international recognition of her pioneering work.

Typical Objects

Large rolls of burlap canvas

For her monumental paintings, af Klint used large unprimed canvases, sometimes pinned directly to the floor or wall of her studio. These imposing supports allowed her to work at the architectural scale she envisioned for her 'temple'.

Esoteric notebooks

Hilma af Klint filled more than 150 sketchbooks with drawings, symbols, formulas, and spiritual reflections that form a true key to understanding her pictorial work. These notebooks are today held by the Hilma af Klint Foundation in Stockholm.

Compass and geometric rulers

Her abstract compositions are built on precise geometric forms — spirals, circles, ovals — drawn with rigor. The compass and ruler were essential tools in her studio, reflecting an approach that was both intuitive and mathematical.

Oil pigments and binders

Af Klint prepared some of her color mixtures herself, seeking vibrant hues — pinks, electric blues, luminous yellows — that did not exist in the commercial ranges of the time.

Séance table

During the meetings of 'De Fem', a round table served as the support for sessions of automatic communication and mediumistic writing. It was around this table that the first impulses for the major pictorial series are said to have been transmitted.

Illustrated botanical plate

Hilma af Klint worked as a scientific illustrator for the Stockholm Veterinary Institute. Her botanical and animal anatomy plates demonstrate a mastery of naturalistic drawing that paradoxically fed into her abstract vocabulary (organic forms, plant spirals).

School Curriculum

Vocabulary & Tags

Key Vocabulary

Daily Life

Morning

Hilma af Klint rose early, in keeping with the discipline of the anthroposophical communities she frequented. She began her day with a period of meditation or reading from the writings of Rudolf Steiner or Madame Blavatsky, seeking to place herself in a state of spiritual receptivity before entering her studio.

Afternoon

The afternoon was devoted to pictorial work, often during long hours of silent concentration. On her large canvases laid on the floor or hung on the wall, she worked with fine and broad brushes, blending intuition with geometric rigour. She would sometimes pause her session to jot symbols or inspired phrases in her notebooks.

Evening

In the evening, Hilma af Klint would sometimes gather with the group 'De Fem' for spiritualist sessions or shared readings. She recorded in her notebooks the 'messages' received during the day and planned the next stages of her major series. She led a simple, unworldly life, turned inward toward spiritual inquiry.

Food

In keeping with the anthroposophical practices she gradually adopted, af Klint favoured a simple, largely meat-free diet — dark bread, Nordic vegetables, fish, milk, and Swedish cheeses. She ate frugally, regarding moderation as a spiritual virtue.

Clothing

Hilma af Klint dressed with the bourgeois sobriety typical of educated Swedish women of her era: dark high-necked dresses, a work apron in the studio, and sometimes a wool shawl during group meditation sessions. She made no effort to draw attention to herself through her appearance.

Housing

She lived in a studio apartment in Stockholm, functional and unadorned, where canvases occupied most of the space. The walls were covered with her own works and symbolic diagrams. She also had a rural retreat on the island of Munsö, which she regarded as a place of renewal and contemplation.

Historical Timeline

1862Naissance de Hilma af Klint à Solna, près de Stockholm, dans une famille de la bourgeoisie suédoise.

1882Entrée à l'Académie royale des beaux-arts de Stockholm, l'une des rares femmes admises à cette époque.

1888Obtention de son diplôme avec mention ; elle commence à travailler comme portraitiste et illustratrice scientifique pour financer sa pratique artistique.

1896Formation du groupe 'De Fem' (Les Cinq), un cercle de femmes artistes pratiquant les séances spirites à Stockholm.

1897Parution en Suède des premières traductions des écrits de Madame Blavatsky sur la théosophie, qui influencent profondément af Klint.

1906Début de la série 'Les Peintures pour le Temple' (193 œuvres au total), considérée aujourd'hui comme la première grande œuvre d'art abstrait.

1908Rencontre avec Rudolf Steiner, fondateur de l'anthroposophie, qui consulte ses peintures mais reste réservé sur leur valeur spirituelle.

1912Wassily Kandinsky publie 'Du Spirituel dans l'Art', souvent cité comme manifeste fondateur de l'abstraction, alors qu'af Klint peint abstraitement depuis six ans.

1915Achèvement de la dernière toile des 'Peintures pour le Temple' ; af Klint arrête temporairement cette série monumentale.

1920Après la mort de sa mère, Hilma af Klint se consacre à l'anthroposophie et séjourne dans les communautés steinerniennes en Europe.

1944Décès de Hilma af Klint à Danderyd, en Suède, à l'âge de 81 ans, après un accident de tramway.

1986Première grande rétrospective au Moderna Museet de Stockholm, révélant son œuvre au grand public pour la première fois.

2018Exposition 'Paintings for the Future' au Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum de New York : plus de 600 000 visiteurs, succès mondial retentissant.

Period Vocabulary

Theosophy — Spiritual movement founded by Madame Blavatsky in the 19th century, seeking a synthesis between Eastern and Western religions. Hilma af Klint was deeply influenced by its ideas on the spiritual evolution of humanity and invisible worlds.

Anthroposophy — Spiritual philosophy developed by Rudolf Steiner (a former theosophist) asserting that human beings can attain, through inner discipline, direct knowledge of the spiritual world. Af Klint joined this movement after 1908.

Automatic writing — A mediumistic technique consisting of writing or drawing without conscious control, under the effect of an alleged external or spiritual inspiration. The group 'De Fem' practiced this technique during its sessions.

Abstract art — Artistic movement that abandons the representation of the visible world (figures, landscapes, objects) to express ideas, emotions, or forces through pure shapes, colors, and lines. Hilma af Klint is today considered an overlooked pioneer of this movement.

Medium (spiritualism) — A person supposedly capable of serving as an intermediary between the world of the living and that of spirits. Af Klint considered herself a medium receiving spiritual instructions for the creation of her large pictorial series.

Séance — A gathering in which a group of people attempts to make contact with spirits or invisible forces, often around a table. These practices were very widespread in European intellectual and artistic circles at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century.

Symbolism — Artistic and literary movement of the late 19th century that sought to express abstract ideas, states of mind, and spiritual truths through visual or poetic symbols rather than a realistic description of the world.

Art Nouveau — International decorative style flourishing between 1890 and 1910, characterized by organic forms inspired by nature — curves, arabesques, flowers. It indirectly influenced the organic aesthetic of Hilma af Klint's early abstractions.

Testamentary foundation — A legal structure created by will to manage and preserve an estate after its owner's death. Af Klint created the Hilma af Klint Foundation to protect and pass on her works according to her wishes.

Gallery

Hilma af Klint - Self-portrait

Portraitlabel QS:Len,"Portrait"

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Hilma af Klint - The Ten Largest no. 10 - Old Age. Tempera painting from 1907

John Schamyl Björling

Hilma af Klint, portrait photograph published in 1901

Hilma af Klint - exhibition view at Guggenheim

Hilma-af-Klint-uncropped

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Um outro acervo do MAC USP

Visual Style

Formes organiques monumentales aux contours fluides, aplats de couleurs vives et symbolisme théosophique : un style abstrait unique, entre géométrie sacrée et sensibilité Art Nouveau.

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AI Prompt

Early 20th century Swedish spiritual abstract painting, large-format canvas with organic biomorphic forms, spirals and nested circles, bold flat color fields in pink, yellow, orange, turquoise and deep blue. Theosophical symbolism, yin-yang dualities, stylized floral and cellular motifs. No perspective, no figures, no landscape. Soft contours blending into each other, watercolor-like washes combined with precise geometric lines. Sacred geometry meets Art Nouveau organic sensitivity. Meditative, transcendent, ahead of its time. References: Hilma af Klint's The Ten Largest, The Swan series.

Sound Ambience

Ambiance d'un atelier suédois silencieux du début du XXe siècle, entre méditation spirite et travail pictural concentré, avec les sons discrets d'une ville nordique hivernale en arrière-plan.

AI Prompt

Quiet wooden studio in early 20th century Stockholm, soft crackling of a wood stove in winter, distant muffled sounds of a Nordic city — horse hooves on cobblestones, church bells, wind through birch trees. The scratch of a fine brush on canvas, the clink of glass jars filled with pigments, pages of a notebook turning slowly. Silence punctuated by low murmurs of a small group of women in meditation, a faint humming as if in trance, occasional deep breathing. Distant sound of ice cracking on a frozen lake.

Portrait Source

Wikimedia Commons