Hilma Af Klint – författare

Hilma af Klint was classically trained, with a degree from the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm. Although landscapes and portraits are not her most famous pieces, they remain important to her collection of works. This volume shows yet another side of Hilma af Klint s multifaceted artistry and presents her as painter of landscapes, portraits, and botanical specimens. The total number of illustrations is still not determined since many of these works were sold to private buyers, where they remain. In 2020 the search to find further works was initiated.

This volume shows Hilma af Klint as a painter of landscapes, portraits and botanical works. The total number of illustrations is still not determined since many of these works were sold to private buyers, where they remain. In 2020, the publishing house will conduct a search to find further works.

In the 1920s, Hilma af Klint spent extended periods in Dornach, Switzerland, where Rudolf Steiner had established an international centre for the anthroposophical movement the Goetheanum. At the Goetheanum, af Klint took part in the centre s rich cultural life. Among other things, she studied Johann Wolfgang von Goethe s theory of colours. In 1922, at the age of 60, she completely abandoned her geometrical way of working for the wet on wet watercolour method inspired by antroposophy, and developed by Steiner and his circle. An example of this is her series On the Viewing of Flowers and Trees from 1922. Most of the series presented in this, the sixth volume of Hilma af Klint s Catalogue Raisonné, have no titles.

Hilma af Klint became known to a wider audience in 2013, nearly 70 years after her death, in conjunction with Moderna Museet s Stockholm exhibition Hilma af Klint: Abstract Pioneer. Six years later, her work was exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Both exhibitions saw record numbers of visitors, and today she is one of the world s most acclaimed artists.

Hilma af Klint has become incredibly popular and beloved throughout the world, notes Daniel Birnbaum, co-editor with Kurt Almqvist. What makes her art interesting is that the works are highly interconnected. A catalogue raisonné is necessary in order to see the different cycles, motifs and symbols that recur in a fascinating way. If people want to truly understand how Hilma af Klint s works function, they need these books.

The paintings in the catalogue raisonné are presented in the same order as Olof Sundström, also a follower of anthroposophy, numbered them in 1945, based on Hilma af Klint s notes. The forewords to the volumes are short and concise. They present facts about the works rather than interpretations. The works are printed in an exclusive edition designed by Patric Leo housed in a specially produced slipcase to hold all seven volumes.