No. 15The 1900s
Abstraction / SpiritualismHilma af Klint
1862 – 1944 · Sweden
Abstract before 'abstract art' had a name. She asked us to wait.
All artistsAbstraction / Spiritualism
Abstraction / SpiritualismThe Ten Largest, No. 7, Adulthood, 1907. Hilma af Klint. Public domain · Source: Wikimedia Commons
Painting
Hilma af Klint
1862 – 1944 · Sweden
Trained at the Royal Academy in Stockholm, she painted huge, colourful abstract works guided by her spiritual practice — years before the men usually credited with inventing abstraction.
Know more on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Fact file
- Born
- 1862
- Died
- 1944
- Country
- Sweden
- Era
- The 1900s
- Style
- Abstraction / Spiritualism
- Disciplines
- Painting
- Key work
- The Ten Largest, No. 7, Adulthood (1907)
- Medium
- Tempera on paper mounted on canvas, 315 × 235 cm
- Where to see it
- Hilma af Klint Foundation, Stockholm, Sweden
Curiosity!
DocumentedShe asked that her abstract works not be shown until at least 20 years after her death.
What we know (and what we don’t)
- Documented
Her abstract paintings date from 1906, before Kandinsky's first abstractions around 1911.
- Not certain
Whether she should be called 'the first' abstract artist is debated, since she did not exhibit these works publicly.
Where to see her
On view right now
- On now
Hilma af Klint: Artist and Visionary
National Gallery of Ireland · Dublin, Ireland
15 Oct 2026 – 7 Feb 2027
Official page for Hilma af Klint: Artist and Visionary (opens in a new tab) - On nowGroup show
Arcana Borealis – Northern Women and Esotericism
Ateneum Art Museum · Helsinki, Finland
23 Oct 2026 – 28 Feb 2027
6 of her works.
Official page for Arcana Borealis – Northern Women and Esotericism (opens in a new tab) - On nowGroup show
The Subterranean Sky: Surrealism in the Moderna Museet Collection
Moderna Museet · Stockholm, Sweden
22 Oct 2026 – 30 Jun 2027
4 of her works, until June 2027 (exact last day not announced). Dates from the Hilma af Klint Foundation.
Official page for The Subterranean Sky: Surrealism in the Moderna Museet Collection (opens in a new tab) - On nowGroup show
Collection Galleries: Sign Post
The Museum of Modern Art · New York, USA
12 Jun 2026 – 11 Jun 2028
1 of her works. Dates from the Hilma af Klint Foundation.
Official page for Collection Galleries: Sign Post (opens in a new tab)
Museums that own her work
- Hilma af Klint Foundation (owns most of her work)Stockholm, Sweden(opens in a new tab)
- The Museum of Modern ArtNew York, USA(opens in a new tab)
Owning isn’t always showing: works rotate, go into storage or travel on loan — check before you go.
Hunting for a show we missed?
Exhibition list last checked 25 Oct 2026.