The Swedish artist Hilma af Klint is receiving her first major solo exhibition in France, organized by the Grand Palais and the Pompidou Centre. The show focuses on her "Paintings for the Temple," a series of groundbreaking abstract works created years before male peers like Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian claimed to have invented the movement. Af Klint, a mystic who believed she was guided by higher spirits, famously ordered her work to be hidden for 20 years after her death, convinced the world was not yet ready for her vision.
This exhibition represents a significant step in the ongoing international effort to rewrite art history and address the systemic exclusion of women from the canon of modernism. By highlighting af Klint’s pioneering role in abstraction, the show challenges traditional narratives that have long overlooked female contributions to foundational art movements. Her transition from a classically trained painter to a spiritualist pioneer serves as a powerful case study in how gender bias and unconventional inspirations have historically led to the marginalization of visionary artists.