Hilma af Klint

Paintings for the Temple (1906-1915)

Trained at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm, Hilma af Klint led a double artistic life: a figurative practice that conformed to the expectations of her time, and, in secret, a radically avant-garde production nourished by theosophy and spiritualism, exploring cosmic harmony and invisible forces. 

From 1906, long before Kandinsky or Malevich, she created bold compositions in which vivid colors, geometric shapes, and organic motifs anticipated the major currents of modern art. Spirals, circles, and beams reflect her total creative freedom and give her paintings a universal and timeless dimension. On this occasion, the Grand Palais and the Centre Pompidou present her major work: the Paintings for the Temple (1906‑1915), including the monumental series The Ten Largest. The exhibition also highlights the multiple sources of her inspiration - esotericism, folk art, scientific culture - and examines the long-overlooked role of women in the history of modern art. 

This first monographic exhibition in France also reveals an extraordinary story. Hilma af Klint had chosen to keep her abstract works hidden, having them sealed for twenty years after her death. It was not until 1986, with the exhibition The Spiritual in Art in Los Angeles, that her work was finally revealed to the public. 

A rare opportunity to discover an artist who, ahead of her time, transcends the boundaries between art, science, and spirituality.

Coproduction between Centre Pompidou and GrandPalaisRmn

Curators

Pascal Rousseau, Professor at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne

Scenography : Pascal Rodriguez, Architect-scenographer, Centre Pompidou