Born in Sweden in 1862, Hilma af Klint trained as a classical painter before creating a private body of work devoted to spiritual symbolism, consciousness, and unseen realities.
Her abstract paintings were created years before abstraction became recognized in modern art history.
In 1896, af Klint joined four women artists to form The Five. They explored spiritualism, automatic drawing, meditation, and symbolic communication through notebooks and artistic practice.
Their work was connected to the spiritual movements of the era, especially Theosophy and the search for hidden knowledge.
Af Klint's imagery explored illumination, transformation, and the movement from visible matter toward invisible forces.
Between 1906 and 1915, af Klint created The Paintings for the Temple, a vast cycle of works exploring evolution, polarity, geometry, and cosmic order.
The beginning of The Paintings for the Temple.
Completion of the major temple cycle.
Af Klint dies, leaving instructions that many works remain unseen.
Recognized as one of the pioneers of abstract art and visionary painting.