Hilma af Klint: A Biography

Julia Voss

Meeting: Thursday, February 22 @ 6-7:30 PM

Location: Kelly-McKenna Gallery, 1308 Third Avenue, Spring Lake, NJ

Wine Selection: TBD

Summary: At the age of forty-four, Swedish painter Hilma af Klint (1862–1944) boldly departed from the academic tradition in which she had been trained, creating a groundbreaking body of radical, abstract works. Widely recognized today as one of the earliest abstract academic painters in Europe, af Klint's story goes beyond her artistic innovations. In addition to being a pioneering female artist, she was also an avowed clairvoyant and mystic. 

Like many artists in the early 20th century exploring abstract painting, af Klint delved into Theosophy, a belief system that posits science, art, and religion as reflections of an underlying life-form accessible through meditation, study, and experimentation. Preceding renowned figures like Kandinsky, Mondrian, and Malevich, af Klint worked in a nonrepresentational mode, creating a potent visual language that resonates with audiences to this day.

In 2018, the Guggenheim Museum in New York City hosted an exhibition of her work, attracting over 600,000 visitors and becoming the institution's most-attended show in history. Despite her immense popularity, a comprehensive biography of af Klint had not been written—until now. Julia Voss, inspired by her first encounter with af Klint's art in 2008, undertook the task of learning Swedish and researching the artist's life. The result is a captivating biography that explores not only who af Klint was as an artist but also delves into the driving forces and inspirations that shaped her enigmatic persona.

Wine: TBD

About Art Book Club: We meet monthly at Kelly-McKenna Gallery to discuss all topics art, art history, and design. 

You can purchase our monthly reading selections here at Thunder Road Books; (973) 436-0914.

Our monthly wine selection is available (link soon) at Bottle Shop of Spring Lake; (732) 449-5525