The Guggenheim’s Latest Abstract Art Show
The Guggenheim’s newest show features Swedish-born artist Hilma af Klint, entitled Hilma af Klint: Paintings for the Future. Her gorgeous and surprising abstract art paintings have been kept mostly private, per the artist’s wishes, until recent years. Now her paintings and paper works have finally begun to receive serious attention.
In 1906 Hilma af Klint began creating entirely abstract paintings. Her work was colorful, vibrant, and completely devoid of references to the material world. Though her later contemporaries, including Vasily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, and Kazimir Malevich, would produce similar, nonrepresentational works, af Klint was one of the first to adopt the technique. But while many these contemporaries published manifestos and exhibited around the world, af Klint kept her groundbreaking paintings largely private. She rarely exhibited them and stipulated that it not be shown for twenty years following her death because she was convinced the world was not yet ready to understand her work.
Af Klint’s work can be understood in the wider context of the Modernist search for new forms in artistic, spiritual, political and scientific systems at the beginning of the 20th century. Her interest in abstraction was also closely related to her beliefs in spiritualism and Theosophy. These schools of thought were popular across England and the US at this time, as people strove to merge long-held religious beliefs with scientific advances and a new awareness of the global plurality of religions.
Hilma af Klint: Paintings for the Future is the first major exhibition in the United States devoted entirely to this underrepresented artist. The exhibit features a range of the artist’s paintings and paper works. It demonstrates her growth and constant commitment to experimentation. This collection reveals af Klint’s skill at creating diverse forms and striking color combinations, as well as an innovative and highly unique style that arrived well before its time.
Don’t miss your chance to see this Hilma af Klint show at the Guggenheim Museum. It will be on display through April 23, 2019. If interested, we can customize a private tour for you around this fabulous exhibition. Contact us to learn more!