Hilma af Klint

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This highly anticipated biography explores the life of the enigmatic Swedish painter Hilma af Klint (1862-1944), who broke from academic traditions at the age of 44. While her naturalistic landscapes were exhibited during her lifetime, her groundbreaking abstract works went largely unrecognized until recently. Today, she is celebrated for creating some of the earliest abstract paintings by a trained European artist. Beyond her artistic achievements, af Klint was also a clairvoyant and mystic, deeply influenced by Theosophy, which posits that science, art, and religion reflect an underlying life-force accessible through meditation and study. Long before Kandinsky, Mondrian, and Malevich claimed to be the pioneers of abstraction, af Klint was developing a powerful non-representational visual language that resonates with contemporary audiences. Her 2018 exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York drew over 600,000 visitors, marking it as the most-attended show in the institution's history. Despite her acclaim, af Klint lacked a dedicated biography until now. Julia Voss, inspired by her first encounter with af Klint's work in 2008, learned Swedish and conducted extensive research to uncover the artist's life, motivations, and inspirations, resulting in a captivating portrayal of this remarkable figure.